Fatal twisters

Enterprise, Ala.

Fierce tornadoes tore through the southeastern U.S. last week, killing at least 20 people, including five high school students in Enterprise, Ala. The students died when the roof and walls of the school’s hallway, where they had taken refuge, collapsed in the storm. “Cinderblocks started to fall out of the walls,” said student Emily Balliew, 16. “I had two fall on my leg, and one hit my back.” The tornadoes were part of a storm system that stretched from Minnesota to the Gulf Coast. Large, open structures such as schools are especially vulnerable to the high winds and extremely low air pressures that accompany tornadoes.