Tornado Survivor Hopeful For New Technology

Phil Campbell resident Judy Evett describes her experience with the EF-5 tornado on April 27, 2011.

Last month we launched the largest private radar network in the nation - the waay 31 stormtracker early warning radar network.

I spent a few days out in the community recently ...talking with folks who have noticed a lack of high-quality radar data.

One whose story particularly touched me is judy evett from phil campbell - she with me how a tornado changed her life forever.

"that is just the scariest feeling...within just a few moments, your house is gone and you look up and you're seeing the sky."

That's what judy evett lived through the afternoon of april 27th, 2011 when the ef-5 tornado raked across the town of phil campell, packing wind as high as 210 mph.

It was the deadliest tornado in alabama history.

08:38;36 to 08:48;54 "the tv was on and it said you've got so many minutes...i think they told me 20 minutes...i started calling my daughter, couldn't get ahold of her."

Judy's daughter, patricia, was a second grade teacher at phil campbell elementary.

She'd spent a good part of her day calling parents, telling them to pick up their children due to the threat of severe weather.

Patricia laid down for a nap, tired from caring for her students.

She likely never heard about the violent tornado headed her way.

09:02;42 to 09:16;10 "so i went to the door and i heard it and i looked out my front door...and i didn't see the ...i saw just the big part of it...and the roar."

Butt 09:17;02 to 09:18;57 "i knew that i didn't have time."

The tornadoes on april 27th were moving fast - between 45 and 70 mph.

09:34;22 to 09:38;30 "it was right on us, no time for nothing.

" after the tornado, judy got the news.

19:28;13 to 19:35;24 i lost my mother and my sister, my son in law, and also patricia.

They were 4 of the 72 lives lost to that tornado.

Thinking about shooting a bridge stand-up for this on a day like april 27th, large, long-tracked, violent tornadoes aren't missed by radars.

They're seen from miles away, with well-defined rotation and debris signatures.

However, the data we had to rely then provided new radar images every 4 to 6 minutes.

For a tornado that's moving 60 miles per hour, that's covering a distance from research park blvd to memorial parkway without a new radar scan.

Take vo again the waay 31 stormtracker early warning radar network changes that.

With three radars covering all of north alabama from the shoals to huntsville and decatur, to guntersville, we've eliminated any gaps in radar coverage...providing live-real time data as severe weather approaches.

Now, we can get a complete 360 scan in one minute...a full 4 to 5 minutes faster than the national weather service radars sites.

It's all in an effort to track storms long before they reach your area, alerting you even earlier to the threats heading your way.

This not only means we able to see circulations low to the ground with weak, spin- up tornadoes...we'll also be tracking any large, violent tornadoes minute by minute at street level.

20:19;31 to 20:44;32 i'm very thankful...very, very...i cannot express that enough...that we're going to have more coverage because it is important about knowing when to take cover and i honestly think that people now, with what we've gone through with these tornadoes will probably listen more closely than they did at that time, that long ago.

You just heard judy say she thinks people will take warnings more seriously now with what this area experienced on april 27th...and as a meteorologists, of course we want the same.

Now, there's the waay 31 stormtracker early warning radar network to help keep north alabama safe.

We now have live, real-time radar data with minute by minute radar scans...we hope the network, in combination with prompt warnings, will help keep the people of