Five years ago today, Alabama's very landscape was devastated by a series of tornadoes that swept through the state.
Hundreds of lives were devastated as well.
Our Facebook community shared their memories of the day that changed everything.
And finally, Karen Dover Bowen shared her story:
This day haunts me. We all have been told what to expect with a tornado or what one sounds like. One this day my husband, son and I were in the trailor. Our oldest son was at a friend's house and after he and I argued about him leaving because I wanted him home , I do believe God was saying something to us that day because his room was hit the hardest and I know if he would have been home he would have been in his room and this still haunts me because there were 2 swords that were stuck straight through the mattress in his room and it was the spot he would have been laying in. God had to be telling us something because I gave in and let him leave. Not long after that conversation we heard the roof rumble but we didn't think anything about it because if the winds were high sometimes it does that and the sun was shining and within seconds our lives changed. Our Windows were exploding from the inside and my son ran to bedroom with his Dad and I could hear them screaming at me to get up and run but it was like something was holding me down and I couldn't move. I was able to put my arm up to cover my face and then a tree came in the living room where I was sitting and the branches were touching my nose and "Poof" just like that it was gone. We had 7 pines trees on backside of the trailor and Windows and doors were blocked. We had to wait until our neighbors came and cut the trees away. What I saw next , in my wildest dreams could I ever imagined. To the left of us every trailor and every tree was gone and to the right of us trailors were damaged but still standing. A house in front of us untouched but the house beside it was demolished. We were looking for families and finally they one by one started appearing. Most had some scraps but one family there was 2 children and 3 adults severely injured and one elderly lady died. God, was with us that day or so many more of us would have been hurt. I never felt so much devastation in all my life. In the days to come we had people we didn't know and people from surrounding areas there giving us water, bringing us hot food and bringing supplies, lending and shoulder to cry on and helping us clean up. So, out of the bad came hope, promises and brighter days because of the LOVE that surrounding areas, out of state and even the locals showed all of us. Cluster of 7 trees in our front yard.
Where were you April 27, 2011? Share your stories below or on Facebook. Five years later we're still healing, yet we're still hopeful.