1 of 39

By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Twisted trees, damaged vehicles and destroyed homes were left behind after a tornado ravaged Maplesville and the surrounding areas the night of March 15. In Chilton County, the communities of Maplesville, Isabella and Pletcher were hit hard by the tornado and endured the brunt of the damage. County Roads 15, 16, 64, 340, 343, 3003 and others in the Maplesville area sustained significant damage that included down powerlines, completely flipped over homes, trailers thrown thousands of feet off their foundation and vehicles completely destroyed.

Preliminary results for the tornado that impacted Dallas and Chilton Counties was deemed an EF-3 tornado at around 3:45 p.m. on March 16, according to the U.S. National Weather Service in Birmingham. Those preliminary findings were confirmed at 11 p.m. by the NWS office on March 16, and the tornado was confirmed at EF-3 strength. There were 16 areas of suspected tornado damage across Alabama from the March 15 outbreak, and the National Weather Service in Birmingham released preliminary information on March 19 that confirmed 14 tornados during the outbreak. Of the 14 confirmed tornados, the Dallas-Autauga-Chilton tornado is the strongest as the only EF-3 tornado.

After the National Weather Storm Prediction Center upped the severe weather threat on March 15 to a five out of five in the afternoon of March 14, the level of concern for what could happen was raised. Many people in Chilton County took advantage of the early warning to plan their safety measures, and those measures and steps taken led to no fatalities within the Chilton County limits despite all of the damage.

Chilton County saw very manageable weather throughout the day on March 15 until around 8 p.m. A strong thunderstorm developed in Dallas County and produced tornadic activity that traveled northeast towards the Chilton-Dallas County line. The tornado ripped through the small town of Plantersville just a few miles from the county border.

On Lovelady Lane in Plantersville, the tornado completely destroyed a number of homes and killed two people, confirmed by Dallas County Sheriff Michael Granthum.

“This one, this one was really bad,” Granthum said.

David Wright, a lifelong resident of Plantersville, lost his first cousin in the weather event after their trailer was thrown an estimated .26 of a mile off its foundation.

“It is amazing what the wind can do,” Wright said. “There were multiple people (injured), and I know one went to the hospital. I do not know if anymore went, but I know some others that should have went.”

The tornado moved from Plantersville across the county line and into the Maplesville and Pletcher areas at around 9:30 p.m. Extensive damage in the area caused County Road 16 to be shut down off County Road 15 and Highway 82 forced to a one-lane road at County Road 3003. The tornado continued its destructive path towards County Roads 340 and 341 where homes were completely whipped out.

On County Road 64 in Chilton County, Susie and Kerry Walker’s home was badly damaged, but everyone inside was unharmed.

“We were watching the weather, and they said we needed to get to our safe space,” Susie Walker said. “Me and my two daughters got in our middle bathroom in the tub, and we were there about 30 minutes. They said it was coming through Dallas County, they said it was on the ground, and my husband was still in the living room. They just within seconds got to the bathroom.”

County Road 64 was one of the first stops for the tornado in Chilton County.

“The whole house was shaking, you could hear glass just shattering,” Walker said. “I thought I was dying, and I have never been so scared in my life because I have never been through one. When you feel the house shaking … It was awful. Awful.”

Other damages reported in the area included a gas line being struck by lightning in Maplesville that caught on fire and extensive flooding.

At 9:22 p.m., it was reported by power crews that 1,381 out of 26,856 homes or businesses were without power in Chilton County. As the tornado moved through the area, that number jumped to 4,600 people by 9:30 p.m. As of 4 p.m. on March 16, Alabama Power has restored power to all but 130 customers in Chilton County.

Community members, local restaurants and churches were among those who stepped up throughout March 16 to help the families who lives were forever changed by provided food, water, materials and manpower during the cleanup. Also, the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office set up a command center at Clearwaters Cowboy Church at the intersection of County Roads 37 and 76 to help people looking for assistance in anyway.

Overall, it was reported that 52 of the 67 counties in Alabama sustained damage during the severe weather across the state, with some of the most devastating happening in Chilton County.

Photos by Alec Etheredge and Carey Reeder

More News

Parole granted, denied for Chilton offenders

He’s Risen: Motorcycle ride rolls through Clanton to spread gospel

Price ends senior year signing with Huntingdon football

CES students create Tigger’s Garden with help of SAAC Delta Sigma Theta