College Hill Baptist Church still rebuilding 12 years after tornado

April 28, 2023

Chelsea Barton,

College Hill Baptist Church in Alberta was one of the structures destroyed in a tornado that touched down in Tuscaloosa on April 27, 2011.

Through that destruction, people have been reminded that churches are not defined by their walls.

The congregation at College Hill has partially rebuilt their house of worship over the last decade.

Pastor Kelvin Croom said the building that has been rebuilt will one day be their children’s church when they rebuild their main sanctuary. He said this year’s tornado anniversary hits harder for him and his family.

“People are still effected by that,” Croom said. “I know some families that did lose loved ones. Having lost a son this past June I know that pain sticks with you. You learn to cope with it and live with it, but there is always an empty spot there in your heart.”

According to the Storm Prediction Center, the EF4 multiple-vortex tornado destroyed portions of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, as well as smaller communities and rural areas between the cities on April 27, 2011. It is one of the costliest tornadoes on record and was one of the 360 tornadoes in the 2011 Super Outbreak, the largest tornado outbreak in U.S. history. More than 60 people died as a result of the storm.