Killer tornadoes smash Southeast

Updated Apr 29, 2011
Trailers were thrown about during a tornado that struck Boyd Bros. Transportation in Birmingham, Ala. (Courtesy of Boyd Bros.)Trailers were thrown about during a tornado that struck Boyd Bros. Transportation in Birmingham, Ala. (Courtesy of Boyd Bros.)

Various carriers and truck dealers in Alabama sustained damage or have lost power or phone service in the aftermath of a series of killer tornadoes that roared through the Southeast April 27.

The death toll reached 300, including more than 190 in Alabama, on April 28 and is expected to go higher. Alabama has been declared a federal disaster area and the governor has sought expedited federal assistance. President Obama was expected to visit the state Friday, April 29.

A twister tore the roof from Boyd Bros. Transportation’s maintenance facility in Birmingham and damaged trailers, said Tres Parker, VP of operations. Several people in the facility when the tornado struck took cover in maintenance bay pits and were unhurt, and some soft-side trailers were flipped during the storm.

Several carrier executives canceled reservations for this weekend’s Alabama Trucking Association’s annual meeting in Florida to tend to their businesses, said ATA’s Ford Boswell.

Phone service wasn’t available to truck dealers in Birmingham and Fultondale, both areas that sustained tornado damage.