'I remember when a mighty tornado ripped through Birmingham streets on this day 21 years ago'
Let’s wind the clock back to 2005.
On this day 21 years ago, a mighty tornado swept through areas of Birmingham. For me, I had just turned six years old and it was the start of the school summer holidays when this unexpected IF3 tornado tore through parts of Balsall Heath on July 28th, where my family was living at the time.
I remember we spent most of that summer’s day walking around the area, and closely assessing the scale of the damage to houses, businesses and schools in and around the Ladypool road.
This is a scene that is forever etched in my mind, and thankfully haven’t experienced a natural disaster close to this scale. From what I can remember I was completely and utterly spooked, I rather naively didn't know that these events could occur.
Over the years, the tornado became a distant memory, something I vaguely recalled but had moved on from but one of the most powerful memories of the incident that I do remember clearly is the community coming together, sweeping the roads, and helping to rebuild our streets on that day and the following days afterwards.
Now while the actual tornado didn't last particularly long, about 20 minutes total according to reports of the time, its effects on people and businesses lingered for a long while afterward, and even now, 21 years later it is still considered to be the costliest tornado in the UK, according to the Met Office.
At the time, I remember roofs and trees being rocked to their very core. Funnily enough, whenever I bring up this event to my friends and family, many people have a vague memory of it. And I honestly do feel that we all largely moved past it, but it is something that is etched in my mind, even 21 years later.
Birmingham is probably the last place on Earth where you would expect a tornado to occur, you often associate it with parts of North America. Now, while this tornado didn't actually kill anyone, it did cause injuries to 20 people.
Interestingly, tornados are actually quite common in the UK, and actually there are about 30 tornados in the UK each year and most are too small for you even to notice their size and impact.
I spoke with Dr Steve McCabe to find out more about the impact of the event, as well as his own memories of the event.
Read our conversation below:
Mimi Ibrahim: What do you remember most about the tornado and how it affected Birmingham?
Steve McCabe: Living in Hall Green I recall a sudden increase in winds just after 2.30pm and a darkening in the sky when looking towards Billesley. However, though we expected a sudden shower of rain, nothing significant happened.
News reports quickly made clear that something very different had just occurred only a couple of miles away in Kings Heath, Moseley, and Balsall Heath and continued on through Sparkhill, Small Heath, Saltley, and Erdington.
Amazingly, a tornado had occurred, which is something very unusual and certainly not expected here in Birmingham. What is memorable is that a natural phenomenon can cause quite so much damage to so many homes in such a short period of time—some 20 minutes.
Seeing reports on television of numerous houses without roofs, trees that had been blown over, and, of course, the immense general damage caused to cars and property, not forgetting that many people caught in the path of the tornado were injured, some severely, made me realise how lucky we were it took a path that didn’t affect us.
It was a there but for the grace of God moment.
What was particularly poignant was the stories of those who, in literally seconds, experienced the sensation of their homes being wrecked and faced the prospect of being homeless until they could be repaired. There were stories of some who didn’t have insurance, which would have added to their trauma. Obviously, and even though, miraculously, no one died, it was impossible not to be moved by those hospitalised from something that came out of the sky with so little warning.
Reflecting on this event some 21 years later, it’s all too easy to believe we will never be affected by natural events so common in many other parts of the world, which all too frequently impact those with the least ability to protect themselves from the elements, the poorest.
Mimi Ibrahim: Has anything changed in how Birmingham prepares for natural disasters since then?
Steve McCabe: Birmingham City Council, the organisation we immediately assume will assist in times of sudden crisis, certainly engaged immediately and provided financial aid as well as shelter for those made homeless.
Worryingly, BCC is a body that’s been in the headlines in recent years for all the wrong reasons, most particularly due to bankruptcy, and would probably find it a much greater challenge in coping with any natural crises befalling Birmingham.
Whilst BCC will have developed strategies for dealing with natural disasters, its resource base has been much diminished by cuts to all of the parts of the organisation that would be regarded as ‘first responders.’ I’m sure few expect another tornado to hit Birmingham anytime soon.
However, climate change is changing weather patterns across the globe, and we are going to be affected. The potential for intense storms and ferocious winds, which create havoc and the sort of damage and injury experienced during the tornado, has increased. This is something the council should redouble its efforts to prepare for, though; it’s accepted that all homeowners have a huge responsibility. Intense temperature increases in summer and the risk of fire are other consequences of global warming the council should be preparing for.
Nonetheless, I am confident that should any disaster, natural or otherwise, occur in Birmingham, we’d see the council, shrunken as it may be, react to the impact and, with the interaction of local communities, ensure short-term suffering is minimised.
Now, it appears that many Small Heath residents remember the tornado as much as both Steve and I have.
Here are some of the memories of residents who were close to the incident.
‘My neighbours had to be relocated as part of their house was blown away. At that time, we were living in Herbert Road close to Morrisons. There is a possibility that it affected that area more.’ - Hamze Budhcad
‘On the day it happened, myself and some friends got taxis over to the old Lahore Buffet restaurant (Ladypool Rd, or Stoney Lane, I think)...but it was closed because the roof had blown off. We had to come straight back home! People didn't use the Internet as much then, and I certainly couldn't access it on my old Nokia! So we didn't realise the extent of the damage...plus you just don't expect tornados to hit Brum!!’ - Faye Thomas
‘I worked in Morrisons back in 05 , I remember us being told to move our cars to the middle of the car park and all the big W staff having to come to our canteen as the windows in big W had been blown out .. left work to drive through the destruction to see roofs missing and wood all over the road ..’ - Gail Feeny
‘I remembered wedding hall opposite the Morrison had roof blown off’ - Arshad Majid
‘That is so funny as just the other day I was talking about it I remember it well I sometimes look at the house across the road from the Morrisons as they got hit by it’ - Linda Thomas
‘I lived off the Ladypool Road Sparkbrook and all my windows went through and all down Colville Road there was debris everywhere’- Diane King