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In case you haven’t seen this, the Post’s coverage of how members of Congress are directing spending to places where it benefits them personally is pretty impressive. Examples: Sen. Richard Shelby helped push more than $100 million in earmarks to help rebuild Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and much of that money went to nicen up an area directly around an office building he owns in the city, which has risen in property value as development has increased. (Watch the video; it syncs up with a map of Tuscaloosa.) He’s not alone. Congressmen around the country directly or indirectly benefited from millions in spending that, at the very least, might give them a nicer view around their property — or in other cases, benefited their family members. The Post did a lot of great work on this piece, and it shows. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Apr 2011 15:45

I have never seen devastation like this. It is heartbreaking. This is something I don’t think anyone has seen before.
President Barack Obama • Discussing his reaction to the damage in Tuscaloosa. The president, flanked by Michelle Obama and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley. The storms have killed at least 310 — 210 in Alabama alone — and left hundreds injured, along with tearing up a huge chunk of a number of towns across the South, especially in Tuscaloosa. “We can’t bring those who’ve been lost back,” he said. “They’re alongside God at this point … but the property damage, which is obviously extensive, that’s something we can do something about.” For their sake, let’s hope so. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

The carnage in context: Obviously, it’s tough to quantify the costs in property damage, land damage, and the hideous trauma that has been thrust upon so many, and in the case of the trauma it’ll probably never be. That said, in terms of the most irreversible damage done, lives lost, we at least know this much — this was a big one by America’s standards. With the death-toll grimly ticking upwards as hours roll by, this will be at least the 7th largest loss of life by storm in American history, and that could easily change in the following days. Our thoughts are with them. (photo by Dusty Compton, from the Tuscaloosa News’ photo gallery) source

Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

Actually, I was zoomed out to try to get the whole tornado, and I still couldn’t catch it, the whole thing. I mean, we were probably maybe 200 to 300 yards away from it.
University of Alabama employee Christopher England • Describing how he was able to get this video — you know the one, the one with the heavy breathing. England, speaking from one of the now-greatly-damaged areas he filmed, was in one of the strongest, safest buildings in the entire region — Coleman Coliseum, the campus’ men’s basketball complex — while filming the clip. England filmed for a minute and a half before things got too dangerous and he fleed for safety. Speaking of being near the destruction, he noted: “It’s kind of surreal to be down here now and kind of seeing it, because this is the first time I’ve seen it.” source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

» An unprecedented toll: In Alabama in particular, where Tuscaloosa took incredibly strong damage from the storm and many died in Birmingham, officials were still trying to wrap their heads around the disaster. “I would be pretty sure about saying we’ve never had 128 people die in one day,” said Yasamie August, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency’s information manager. (The number’s jumped since she spoke.) “It’s going to be difficult to get an accurate count of damage or injuries at this point. Many people can’t get to a hospital.”

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink