An unexpected tornado tore through a Wal-Mart store in Troy, Alabama on Thursday evening, flipping tractor trailers and leaving several people injured.
Mayor Jason Reeves spoke to NBC news about the damage caused by the surprise twister. “It flipped multiple trucks and tractor trailers in the parking lot, and damaged a strip-mall structure near the Wal-Mart. There is also water damage in the area from damage to a water main,” he said.
It was initially called a tornado-like storm by several news outlets, but the National Weather Service confirmed on Friday that it was an actual tornado that touched down, with speeds of up to 100-miles-per hour.
EF-1 Tornado with 100mph winds confirmed in Troy from NWS Damage Assessment Team: https://t.co/PMJshQaeEy #alwx #bmxwx
— NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) August 7, 2015
An employee that was inside the store as the tornado touched down told the Troy Messenger that the storm “took everyone by surprise.”
Two people suffered minor injuries as the twister ripped through the store, and another suffered minor injuries in the parking lot when his semi truck was blown over. No one was seriously injured.
