While April 27, 2011 brought widespread devastation to the City of Tuscaloosa, stories of hope and resilience prove the strength of our community.
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Shalare Powell Giles sits at home alone on April 27, 2011. As she eats dinner, she doesn’t think much about the tornado warning that allowed her to leave work early. It isn’t until she hears the neighbors screaming that she looks out the window to see Alberta Elementary School being wiped from the Earth. At that moment, she knew nature would turn her world upside-down, yet again.
Powell Giles is no stranger to natural disasters. When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, she was living in the West Bank of New Orleans, Louisiana. After dealing with the devastation of Katrina and losing her mother to cancer, she knew she needed a fresh start.
Shortly after Katrina, she journeyed to Tuscaloosa to visit a friend, and there, she found her chance to start over. She chose to settle here and began working at University Mall. However, the normalcy of her new life didn’t last long.
“It seemed like once I did get on my feet and got everything going, the tornado happened,” said Powell Giles.
Powell Giles was working at University Mall when the tornado warning was issued for the City of Tuscaloosa on April 27, 2011. After her boss allowed her to leave work early, she made her way home under the assumption that, like the result of the tornado warning a few days before, nothing would happen. It wasn’t long before she realized she was very wrong.
At 5:13 p.m. CDT, an EF4 tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa, killing 44 people and attempting to destroy anything in its path.
“At first, I ran into the restroom [for shelter], then the roof started to dissipate,” she said. “It wasn’t nothing but God that made it to where I could get out of that bathroom and into the closet.”
By the time she got into the closet, a sound like a freight train surrounded her and, in more ways than one, everything collapsed in on her. When the neighbors pulled her out of the rubble where her home once stood, she found the aftermath to be unrecognizable.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do or where I was going to go…but I kept my faith in God.” she said. “Even though I had lost all of my possessions, I still had my life.”
After living in a less-than-ideal apartment for almost a year, Powell Giles put in an application with Habitat for Humanity. From there, her application was forwarded on to the Nick’s Kids Foundation, a nonprofit run by Coach Nick Saban and his wife, Terry.
About a year later, the keys to her new home were in her hands. Powell Giles says the home, which has a closet that also serves as a safe room, helps to ease the minds of both her and her family, including her fiancée and two stepdaughters.
“[Having the house] really does make us feel safe,” she said. “We know even if the house was to go, the safe room would still be there, and our girls would be safe.”
Looking back now, Powell Giles believes the devastation of that day led to a greater Tuscaloosa. She believes the response from the city was both effective and resilient.
“Compared to back home from Katrina, [the response to the tornado] was awesome,” she said. “It opened everyone’s eyes, and everybody came together to help each other.”
Now, Powell Giles still lives in her home and left her job as a housekeeper University Mall for a position at Peco Foods Inc. as a quality control inspector.
“Now I’m at peace; I’m content,” said Powell Giles. “It’s been a blessing to have my home. [Tuscaloosa] is my home now, and it’s a great place.”
Powell Giles is no stranger to natural disasters. When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, she was living in the West Bank of New Orleans, Louisiana. After dealing with the devastation of Katrina and losing her mother to cancer, she knew she needed a fresh start.
Shortly after Katrina, she journeyed to Tuscaloosa to visit a friend, and there, she found her chance to start over. She chose to settle here and began working at University Mall. However, the normalcy of her new life didn’t last long.
“It seemed like once I did get on my feet and got everything going, the tornado happened,” said Powell Giles.
Powell Giles was working at University Mall when the tornado warning was issued for the City of Tuscaloosa on April 27, 2011. After her boss allowed her to leave work early, she made her way home under the assumption that, like the result of the tornado warning a few days before, nothing would happen. It wasn’t long before she realized she was very wrong.
At 5:13 p.m. CDT, an EF4 tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa, killing 44 people and attempting to destroy anything in its path.
“At first, I ran into the restroom [for shelter], then the roof started to dissipate,” she said. “It wasn’t nothing but God that made it to where I could get out of that bathroom and into the closet.”
By the time she got into the closet, a sound like a freight train surrounded her and, in more ways than one, everything collapsed in on her. When the neighbors pulled her out of the rubble where her home once stood, she found the aftermath to be unrecognizable.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do or where I was going to go…but I kept my faith in God.” she said. “Even though I had lost all of my possessions, I still had my life.”
After living in a less-than-ideal apartment for almost a year, Powell Giles put in an application with Habitat for Humanity. From there, her application was forwarded on to the Nick’s Kids Foundation, a nonprofit run by Coach Nick Saban and his wife, Terry.
About a year later, the keys to her new home were in her hands. Powell Giles says the home, which has a closet that also serves as a safe room, helps to ease the minds of both her and her family, including her fiancée and two stepdaughters.
“[Having the house] really does make us feel safe,” she said. “We know even if the house was to go, the safe room would still be there, and our girls would be safe.”
Looking back now, Powell Giles believes the devastation of that day led to a greater Tuscaloosa. She believes the response from the city was both effective and resilient.
“Compared to back home from Katrina, [the response to the tornado] was awesome,” she said. “It opened everyone’s eyes, and everybody came together to help each other.”
Now, Powell Giles still lives in her home and left her job as a housekeeper University Mall for a position at Peco Foods Inc. as a quality control inspector.
“Now I’m at peace; I’m content,” said Powell Giles. “It’s been a blessing to have my home. [Tuscaloosa] is my home now, and it’s a great place.”