On May 27, 1973 I had just ended by junior year in high school (I attended Tuscaloosa High School; not many of us Black Bears still around, you know), and as usual I was glued to my amateur radio gear, helping to activate the West Alabama Emergency Net on 146.82 MHz since severe weather was breaking out. Most of the action during the afternoon was a little north and east of Tuscaloosa; word came in that a tornado had touched down in the Center Point section of Birmingham with very significant damage.
Then, around 5:30, word was received that a tornado had touched down just northeast of Demopolis. We followed the progress of that storm very closely; it would be one that made May 27, 1973 a red letter day in Alabama weather history. That tornado stayed on the ground for around two hours, hitting Greensboro and Brent head on. It even took out the old National Weather Service radar facility just southwest of Brent in Bibb County. The twister stayed down until it reached the western slope of Mount Cheaha.
Calls for help were coming in to the Tuscaloosa Civil Defense office, and we responded to the call. I rode down U.S. 82 with a group of other amateur radio operators from Tuscaloosa; our destination was Brent. My heart was racing since I had really never seen serious tornado damage before, and I had no idea what to expect.
We rolled into Brent, and police directed us to the National Guard Armory, which was being used as a temporary disaster headquarters. I will never forget the eerie darkness, the strange odor, and the sense of shock in the eyes of the people who lived there. Five people died in Brent, including one man, Andrew Mitchell, who was attending services at the Brent Baptist Church. I wound up staying in the Brent/Centreville area for four days handling health and welfare traffic, and helping with other communication needs. The sights and sounds made a remarkable impact on my life, and to this day I look back on May 27, 1973 just like it was yesterday.
Be sure and scroll down for more on this event from Bill Murray.
