Tornado Leaves Death
And Destruction In Path

A massive tornado moves from the Hulaco area toward the Ruth area Wednesday afternoon. The tornado that claimed 5 lives, has been tentatvevly ranked as an EF-4 by the National Weather Service. Arab Today photo by Dwight Hayes

The devastating tornado changed shape as it moved along a path between Baileyton and Union Grove. Arab Today photo by Dwight Hayes

The Jet Pep on North Brindlee Mountain Parkway was leveled by the storm. A worker in the store huddle in a bathroom as the tornado destroyed the building. She escaped with minor injuries. Arab Today photo by Dwight Hayes

An unidentified bystander looks in disbelief at the devastation at the Ruth Trailer Park.Arab Today photo by Dwight Hayes

Arab Fire Chief Ricky Phillips coordinates rescue effort at the North Parkway scene minutes after the storm passed. Arab Today photo by Dwight Hayes

With victims scattered across fields, and with roads blocked by downed trees, power poles, and debris, rescue personnel were forced to evacuate the victims by whatever means available. An unidentified victim is transported by an ATV to a waiting ambulance. Arab Today photo by Dwight Hayes

April 27, 2011
A devastating tornado cut a deadly and destructive path across the area Wednesday afternoon. The storm was one of several in Alabama that has so far claimed 249 lives on Wednesday. The Arab storm claimed 5 lives in the Ruth community.

The Huntsville National Weather Service was tracking the storm as it moved through Cullman and into Marshall County. Arab police officers reported the tornado on the ground as it crossed Hwy 67 between the Hwy 69 -Hwy 67 intersection and Hulaco. The storm tracked the Hogjaw area then moved into the Ruth Community. Some of the heaviest damage was along Frontier Road and Ruth Road near the Cranford Road intersection. The five fatalities were in a home located on Frontier Road. The storm continued across farm land and scattered residences until crossing US Hwy 231 near the former Deltacom, now Earthlink building. The tornado leveled a Jet Pep service station and several houses in the area. Homes in the Briarwood Subdivision sustained heavy damage. Spotters reported the storm dividing into two separate tornados as it moved toward Union Grove. Damage occurred along the Mobbs School Road and several homes were destroyed on Glendale Road. The storm crossed the Union Grove (Hwy 240) Road at the intersection with Union Chapel Road. Several homes were totally destroyed in the Union Grove area. The strom continued on a path just North of Guntersville and caused heavy damage in the Buck Island community.

Five people in the same family were killed by the storm on Frontier Road. The storm claimed the lives of Phillip, age 56 and Ann Hallmark age 54, their son Shane Hallmark age 35 and his wife Jennifer Hallmark age 31, and 17 month old Jayden Hallmark. Jayden is the son of Ricky and Reginna Hallmark of Joppa. Two other children and a neighbor were critically injured in the same home. They were transported to Marshall Medical Center North then later transferred to Huntsville Hospital.

Click for addtional photos from the tornado damage taken just minutes after the storm passed....