BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama’s K-12 school officials are assessing the damage from Saturday’s tornado outbreak, with at least six schools closed today due to structural damage or hazardous conditions in surrounding communities.
State Superintendent Eric Mackey told Alabama Daily News that as of Sunday evening, three school facilities – one each in Pike County, Shelby County, and Talladega County – had sustained significant damage and would be closed today, with some closures likely extending beyond that.
Mackey said he feared the damage would be worse as he tracked the storms late into the night.
“I spent the late (Saturday) night and early morning watching James Spann on one screen and Josh Johnson on another,” he said. “It is always tragic when lives are lost, and it is so much more scary when these things happen after dark.”
Three Alabamians were killed Saturday night in a massive storm system that spanned multiple states and killed 39 people across multiple states, The Associated Press reported.
Among the hardest-hit areas was Plantersville, where an EF-3 tornado killed two people. Despite widespread destruction in the community, Dallas County school officials reported no damage to their buildings.
“We were fortunate to find no damage in the schools in Plantersville considering the significant damage to the community,” Mackey said.
Other districts were not as lucky.
In Pike County, the Center for Advanced Academics and Accelerated Learning suffered heavy damage. In a Sunday Facebook post, the district said, “We expect to lose at least half of all of the use of this facility for some time.”
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In Talladega County, severe weather left dramatic scenes of destruction. News reports showed a school bus tossed onto the old Winterboro High School. Mackey confirmed the former high school, which is still used for some activities, sustained “significant damage.”
By Sunday, the National Weather Service had classified the Winterboro tornado as an EF-2. One person was killed.
The district later announced that Winterboro High School and Sycamore Elementary School would be closed Monday.
In Shelby County, cleanup is underway at Calera Intermediate School after an EF-1 tornado struck the area. Cindy Warner, the district’s communications director, confirmed the school is closed today but expected to reopen Tuesday.
The school had been serving as a tornado shelter when the storm hit, according to news reports.
Beyond direct storm damage, road conditions and power outages forced additional closures.
In Pickens County, district officials closed Gordo Elementary and Gordo High School on Monday due to widespread downed trees, power lines, and impassable roads.
“We have determined that numerous downed trees, power lines, structural damage and hazardous road conditions make bus travel unsafe,” Superintendent Shawn McDaniel said in a Facebook post. “Additionally, some rural roads remain impassable.”
Chilton County school officials made a similar decision, announcing that Maplesville and Isabella High Schools would remain closed Monday due to storm damage and blocked roads.
Saturday’s tornadoes were part of a powerful system that brought destruction across the South, killing at least 37 people.
Alabama had been under a rare “high risk” designation from the National Weather Service on Friday, giving communities time to prepare. Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency ahead of the storms, and by Sunday, she reported damage in 52 of the state’s 67 counties.
“Emergency management officials have been working hard to assess the damage brought by this weekend’s storms,” Ivey said in a statement Sunday evening. “We tragically learned of another victim in Dallas County, which means we’ve lost three of our fellow Alabamians. I offered condolences to local officials in both areas.”
The National Weather Service said at least 16 suspected tornadoes hit Alabama Saturday night. They confirmed five tornadoes on Sunday and will continue surveying sites Monday.