The fierce storms that hit Alabama in April were unforgettable because of their impact on people and communities across the state. But the historic tornado outbreak also was significant from the standpoint of science.
Birmingham's McWane Science Center hopes to create an exhibit that will tell the story from the scientific and human perspective. It is asking the people of Alabama to help bring the idea to life. Specifically, McWane is asking to borrow tornado artifacts that demonstrate the power of the storms or their powerful impact on people's lives. Among the examples cited were the photos, documents and other items found miles away that were subsequently returned to their owners. Other possibilities include photos of damage, actual remnants of buildings, or debris lodged in improbable places.
"It could be a nail stuck in a piece of wood," said Chandler Bibb, vice president of development and marketing for McWane. "It could be as big as a telephone pole or as small as a teddy bear."
The center isn't setting size restrictions, although there will be some limits about what can be displayed, said Lamar Smith, McWane's vice president of exhibits.
The center does not want and will not accept items delivered in person, he said. Instead, people who have an artifact to share should email a photo of it to artifacts@mcwane.org. The email should include contact information, a short description and, if possible, the physical dimensions of the object.
The items selected would become part of a temporary exhibit accompanying a permanent feature McWane is planning on weather preparedness, Smith said. The exhibit on being prepared -- not just for tornadoes but for hurricanes and other dangerous weather conditions -- was in the works even before the tornadoes struck, Smith said.
Despite McWane's other weather-related activities and its plans for the new weather-preparedness exhibit, the science center decided it should respond specifically to the April 27 disaster, when 62 tornadoes struck across north Alabama, killing 247 people and wrecking thousands of homes.
IncredibleEarly on, the center displayed newspaper articles about the tornadoes, and it also put out paper for McWane's visitors to share their experiences or reactions to the storms. The sticky notes were posted on a kiosk, and "they were incredible," Bibb said.
Still, the science center believed there was more to do. "We wanted to add something because this was so scientifically significant but also significant for our community," Bibb said.
It settled on exhibiting tornado artifacts as a way to help the state heal, expound on the science of tornadoes and encourage people to prepare better for violent weather in the future.
The goal is to have the exhibit ready to open in time for the first anniversary of the tornado outbreak.
But Smith and Bibb said success ultimately depends on whether Alabamians have artifacts from the storm and are willing to part with them temporarily for the exhibit. "We could get nothing, or we could get overwhelmed with things," Bibb said.
McWane's effort is just one of the attempts being made to capture and commemorate the devastating tornado outbreak in the state.
Sherry Davis, a high-school teacher in Phil Campbell and chairwoman of the town's recovery committee, said one of the group's goals is to collect oral histories from the April 27 storms. Some of those stories are already down on paper.
A second-grade class at Phil Campbell Elementary School put a book together using students' stories and drawings about the tornadoes, which struck both the school and the community hard, principal Jackie Ergle said.
Among the deaths that day were a second-grade teacher at the school, a third-grade student and a fourth-grader, as well as students' parents and other relatives, Ergle said. Phil Campbell High School was destroyed, too, and the elementary school was damaged.
Having the students write their stories was "a great way for them to express their feelings," Ergle said.
The school also plans to dedicate its new playground to the teacher and students who died in the storms. "This is a way we hope their memories will be cherished for a lifetime and for generations to come," Ergle said.
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