SHOAL CREEK, AL (WBRC) -
By J-P Dice
"The afternoon was sunny. The weather was warm. We actually grilled a hamburger. We were sitting in the house watching the news coverage when you guys showed the tornado coming through Tuscaloosa," St. Clair County District Judge Alan Furr said, reflecting on April 27.
Today, a vacant lot on Neely Henry Lake and a boat dock is all that's left of what was he and his wife Sandra's dream home.
"We had planned on retiring here, loved the lake, loved playing on the water," Sandra Furr said.
"I remember at some point you were doing your track and you had made a comment and drew a line projecting north of Ragland and south of Ashville. At that point I looked at Sandra and said that's where we are," Alan Furr said.
Alan and his wife headed to the basement. They had lost their satellite TV signal and started streaming our coverage on their laptop computer. A 180+ mph monster was just minutes away from their house.
"About the time it started streaming you were projecting Odenville in one minute, Ragland in two minutes, Ohatchee in three minutes. You could see the swirling black mass coming up the Valley," Alan said.
"It felt just like the whole house was fixing to lift off of us. You could hear things ripping and tearing. I knew any minute the roof was going to come off my head," Sandra added.
Even a year later, you can still see the scars from the air. The tornado tracked almost directly along Shoal Creek Road. On April 27, the EF-4 rated tornado claimed the lives of 22 people between Shoal creek and Ohatchee.
As for the Furrs, they are going to rebuild.
"I'd love to see it as close as I could to the way it was. I'd love to come back," Sandra said.
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Aerial video of tornado damage in Shoal Creek. WBRC video.
St. Clair County District Judge Alan Furr.
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