Pratt City's Storm Scars: 15 Years Later

0:0015 years after the brutal tornado outbreak slammed Alabama on April 27, 2011, survivors in Pratt City are still carrying the weight of that day. The storm leveled homes, flipped lives upside down, and left scars that time hasn't fully healed. Folks there lost everything in seconds, from roofs over their heads to loved ones they cherished. Take Alessia Hajj, who was just a 17-year-old high school senior when it hit. She was chilling downstairs with her dog and mom, watching TV, when the warning blared. Before they could even move, the house exploded around them. Windows shattered, pressure slammed her into a wall, and upstairs the ceiling was gone, sky-staring back. Meanwhile, a few miles away, Shellia heard face a different nightmare. Her 72-year-old mother had checked on family ahead of the storm, but got caught in its path. Heard rushed over after a call, but trees blocked the roads. Two days later, they learned the worst. Her mom didn't survive, swept away with the house, leaving only bricks behind.

1:02The human toll runs deep even now. Survivors jump at sirens, tense up with every severe weather alert, and dread April rolling around. One neighbor, Ashley Allen, puts it plain watching your world vanished that fast, teaches you to value every small moment, knowing how quick it can all. Flip. These stories from Pratt City remind us storms, like that don't just destroy buildings, they rewrite how we live, love, and look to the skies, 15. Years on and counting. This has been Birmingham News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story.