Hundreds of Thousands Without Power After Devastating Storms

Power is out at Chabad-Lubavitch of Alabama and the homes of its rabbis, two of more than 400,000 Alabama Power customers whose lights went dark when storms slammed through four counties Wednesday night.

The storms, including a reported mile-wide tornado that leveled buildings in Tuscaloosa, left trails of destruction throughout the state, leading Gov. Robert Bentley to deploy 1,400 members of the National Guard. At least 128 people died in the twisters, and The Associated Press reported that 32 more passed away in neighboring Mississippi, 11 in Georgia, 14 in Tennessee and eight in Virginia.

Rabbis Yossi Posner and Yossi Friedman, respectively the director and the program director at the Chabad House in the capital of Birmingham, were thankful they and they families escaped the devastation unscathed.

“We are fine, thank G-d,” Friedman said early Thursday morning. “Our neighborhood, however, is not so good.”

Many homes in the capital were damaged in the high winds, part of the same system that produced the monster tornado that killed at least 26 people between Tuscaloosa and northern portions of metro Birmingham.

Friedman said that with the power outage, food spoilage will be an issue, but he was concerned for injuries and the loss of life throughout the city. He was checking in with community members to see how they fared and if the Chabad House could help.

“We’ll see what the day brings,” stated the rabbi.