The powerful twister that tore through western Jefferson County, Alabama, April 8 at 250 mph left some 1,100 students, several teachers, and one librarian without their Oak Grove High School, which also houses grades K-8. Oak Grove is a town of 438 people located 25 miles southeast of Birmingham.
When the tornado struck the school around 9 p.m., many of the students had already lost their homes to the storm, as had librarian Maggie McLeod, according to Linda Parker, library resource specialist for the Jefferson County Board of Education.
Phil Hammond, deputy superintendent of schools, told American Libraries that the school was a pile of rubble and grades K-8 were being placed in temporary facilities at four existing school buildings; grades 9-12 will attend Gilmore/Bell Vocational School in Hueytown. To inquire about sending books for the school library or the school, call the Jefferson County Board of Education, Office of Students Services, at 205-930-3824.
Posted April 20, 1998.