Quick-Fire Quips is a questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the State of Alabama! In this episode, Alabama Public Radio host Baillee Majors talks with Dr. Patrick “Shane” Crawford, an assistant professor in the department of civil, construction and environmental engineering at The University of Alabama.
For Shane, the path to his career was forged in the wind and debris of April 27, 2011. Then a UA junior, he witnessed firsthand the devastation of the EF4 tornado—an event that shifted his focus from simple construction to life-saving resilience.
Now, 15 years after that historic outbreak, Shane has turned the recovery of his own hometown into a global blueprint for safety— bridging the gap between structural engineering and community resilience.
Baillee: Hey, Shane, how are you?
Shane: I'm doing great. How are you?
Baillee: I'm doing great. Happy to chat with you!
Shane: Me, too.
Baillee: So, to start off, tell me: what is your job?
Shane: So I'm a professor in our civil engineering department, so teaching, research service. Those are kind of the three core principles that the university, you know, kind of has for us as faculty for my research. The quick way of putting it is: I try to prevent natural hazards from becoming disasters.
Baillee: What is your favorite part of the job?
Shane: I think my favorite part of the job is seeing things change, both in terms of when students come in— seeing students struggle with concepts and ideas, and then getting to the point where they have banged their head against the wall enough times that it finally clicks and they get it— and that sort of light bulb moment that is really satisfying.
I remember going through the same situation when I was a student, and how satisfying it felt to me when the light bulb finally did go on on the service side of things, seeing communities take action to protect the people from these low probability, high consequence events.
Baillee: Now that introductions are done, let's get you warmed up for the questionnaire. To do that, I want you to say, "Quick-Fire Quips," three times fast.
Shane: Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips.
Baillee: Here's the first question: What comes to mind when you hear the word Alabama?
Shane: I think we are a bit of a hidden gem in the country. We've got some of the most beautiful natural resources, you know, most navigable waterways. We've got the Amazon of North America that most people don't know about.
A lot of really, really interesting history. 15 minutes away from Tuscaloosa, we have the city that at one point was the second largest city in all of North America— talking about Moundville.
People hear a lot of the history of Alabama, and probably have certain conceptions, misconceptions or true conceptions, but miss a lot of what actually happens in Alabama.
Baillee: That's a good one. What is a hidden gem in Tuscaloosa that you think more people should know about?
Shane: Moundville is very interesting. I think we've got a very cool underground music scene. We've had some really interesting musicians come through Tuscaloosa.
The college student crowd is not going to hear folks like that, but people who play music over at Druid City Brewing—places like that— Very, very extraordinary in a lot of ways. But not enough people are drawn to it in the right kind of way.
Baillee: If you could describe Alabama in one word, what would you say?
Shane: Complex.
Baillee: What is your favorite getaway spot in Alabama?
Shane: Lake Harris in Tuscaloosa, actually. I proposed out there last summer. I think the trails up on the ridge overlooking the lake are beautiful.
Baillee: What is your favorite thing about living in Alabama?
Shane: Talking to people who don't know anything about Alabama... and helping them understand that Alabama is very different from what they originally expected. That was always very fun, because it was usually very humorous conversations.
Baillee: What is something that you don't like about living in Alabama?
Shane: Mosquitoes.
Baillee: Mosquitoes in the summertime, it's like a double whammy.
Shane: I don't mind the heat or the humidity at all. I actually embrace them. Growing up, I would love hot summer day, cutting the grass and then going to the lake and cooling off.
Baillee: We are currently in tornado season. What does that typically mean for Alabama?
Shane: So, everything's probabilistic, right? You could have a tornado occur any day of the year. But this is the time that we need to be even more on alert for these events.
Baillee: When it comes to weather in Alabama, I feel like it's really hard for people to not think about tornadoes, but specifically April 27, 2011. You were a student at UA during that storm.
Shane: I was.
Baillee: It changed the trajectory of your education and your career path. Tell me about that.
Shane: [The tornado] was actually part of a super outbreak that took place over three days, the most recent Super outbreak of tornadoes was in 1974 and it was a similar, just totally devastating event.
I'd like to mention that, because a lot of people don't think of it in that context, this was a historical event, not just for the Tuscaloosa tornado, but that there were 300 tornadoes in a single day. And then there were multiple days of these.
I remember when the tornado did come, I was in a building on campus, in the basement, and I remember looking up a stairwell. There was a door at the top of the stairs that had glass in it. And so I was looking out, out of that, and I saw the tornado, and I assumed it was right on top of us. It was actually maybe a quarter mile away, but it was just so large that it seemed like it was that close.
Riding over down 15th street, I remember cresting a hill and looking down at what used to be a shopping center... that was just completely leveled. And that moment of crossing the hill and seeing all that, it clicked in my mind, "Wow, okay, this was really bad."
Baillee: I can only imagine the impression that that has left on people.
Shane: It was around the time that I was finishing up my undergraduate work, and at that time, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with my—my degree, but I remember walking into a professor's office and saying, "Hey, this tornado obviously has had a huge effect on me."
I'm learning engineering. Obviously, there's a role to be played for engineers in trying to prevent this from happening again. I ended up doing a master's degree with—with that professor and doing research. My master's thesis was on work that we did in the Moore, Oklahoma tornado in 2013.
Enjoyed doing research, so stayed on for a PhD, and kind of expanded from immediate impacts of natural hazards to community resilience that looks at not only reducing the immediate impact, but also understanding how we recover more quickly, and how that recovery happens in different populations of the community.
Baillee: What are some things that are different that we have learned since then?
Shane: Being on campus now is completely different. We have built so many tornado shelters. There is constant information being pushed out to students. First Wednesday of every month at noon, there's sirens that go off. We get calls, texts, voicemails, and emails.
I think the city has done a lot of similar things as well. They build more shelters and they're giving more information before the shelters are open—you know, on "blue sky" days.
Baillee: Tell me about your research and how it's being used to help communities and individuals survive future storms.
Shane: Sure. So, one of the things right now is we're using the debris cannon lab, looking at new ways that these shelters can be designed and constructed. In our department, it's really nice to have that sort of lab where we can introduce students to these things in their typical classes.
Baillee: I want to hear more about the quad-barrel debris cannon.
Shane: It looks like any other cannon, right? It can shoot debris up to, let's say, 150 to 160 miles an hour.
Baillee: Oh, wow. Can you describe the importance of having a tool like that?
Shane: We can more realistically simulate the debris impacts from a true event. Showing people what it looks like when a piece of debris flies at 150 miles an hour really sticks in people's minds.
So, trying to get people to understand what that hazard actually looks like is very significant. And then the importance in research is, like I said, we can more realistically simulate the debris impacts from a true event.
it's Alabama, there's a threat of tornado, right? But it doesn't really impact them enough to make decisions based off of that until they have some connection to it, right? So if they know somebody who's been through an event, or if they've been through an event themselves, a lot of times, they're like, "Okay, now I realize what this is, and that I really do need to take action and protect myself in future events."
Baillee: Tell me more about the simulations.
Shane: As engineers, we try to model physical phenomena. Being able to simulate on a computer what the effect of a tornado on a community would look like—you know, there's a lot of probability in that—but trying to understand what those impacts look like on the physical infrastructure is key.
From the community resilience research side of things, we understand that infrastructure is supporting the social and economic systems in our community.
If you lose all of your homes, and the people who lived in those homes were the workers for one of the big industries, and those people don't have insurance and they have to move away from the city, that affects that industry; that affects the entire city.
So, if we can better simulate the actual impacts—not just on the physical infrastructure, but all those interdependent physical, social, and economic networks—and then develop solutions to certain things, it could be increasing the building code.
Moore, Oklahoma did that in 2013 as a result of the research we did there. Then we can show people that if you implement one of these solutions, here's how it can change what those impacts look like to your community.
If you reduce the initial impacts, that might change the cost-benefit analysis that goes on, because the folks who are making decisions at the community level have to justify those decisions.
Baillee: So, if we were to run a simulation from the 2011 tornado versus today with the updated building codes, what would look different? What would be different about that?
Shane: In 2022 the engineering standard for loads on a structure was changed, and there's a new chapter for tornado loads. This is the first time in history that engineers have been required to design for tornadoes on typical infrastructure.
We also worked on getting that engineering standard referenced in the International Building Code. When a community adopts that building code, it becomes law to follow those those standards and require the design of of tornadoes.
Understanding the level of performance that your—your home, or whatever building you're, in will have in those events may help you say, "Okay, maybe I actually do need to go to the shelter, even if it's inconvenient."
On the community side, if those community shelters are—are looking at the decision points that people make: does the shelter allow pets? Because if it doesn't allow pets, then I'm not going to go. Does it allow pets? Because I'm allergic. So if they do allow pets, then I'm not going to go.
Understanding all those complexities and devising plans and strategies to account for all of that is really important, and so there's still a great deal of research being done in all these different areas to understand: what do we build? Where do we build it? How do we build it? How do we manage it, so that people actually use it?
Baillee: Tell me about the SmartGuard project.
Shane: So, this is looking at using a fairly new engineering material called ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC). It is an order of magnitude stronger than typical concrete that we use in other design instances. It's got steel fibers in it. Introducing this ultra-high-performance concrete into the design of storm shelters
If you think about it like IKEA—you get a box, there's a bunch of boards, and you kind of put them all together. If we can do that and have pieces of the shelter that can be used as shelves or benches on a day-to-day basis, but then when you know there's a storm coming, you put them together and connect them—that becomes a shelter in your home.
Baillee: So overall, when it comes to Alabama weather, what is your favorite season?
Shane: I would say fall. I really like when things change. I would like spring, except I have pretty bad pollen allergies.
Baillee: Do you have any superstitions or irrational fears?
Shane: Not necessarily that I really believe, but things that I think are interesting. Paint blue on porch ceilings is a big Southern thing that I think is really cool. And bottle trees and all those kind of old wives' tales.
Baillee: Did you have a childhood hero?
Shane: Ask my fiancée, it's probably really annoying how often I quote Lord of the Rings in very serious situations, but Gandalf. Gandalf is my hero.
Baillee: Tell me something on your bucket list?
Shane: Wow, this is hard. See, I don't really plan. I don't make plans for myself.
Baillee: Type B energy in here!
Shane: I try to take more of that approach of saying whatever happens, I'll accept it, enjoy it, or figure it out.
Baillee: Okay, last question: what does Alabama need?
Shane: A national championship (Shane and Baillee laugh). And... more appreciation for the very interesting things that are happening here.
Baillee: That's it for today's Quick-Fire Quips, a questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the state of Alabama. That was Dr. Patrick “Shane” Crawford, an assistant professor in the civil, construction and environmental engineering department at The University of Alabama.
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Whether you are currently facing the threat of severe weather or are navigating the long road to recovery following a disaster, the following resources provide critical support for physical safety, financial assistance and emotional well-being:
- National Weather Service (NOAA): For comprehensive safety guidelines on what to do before, during, and after a tornado, visit the NWS Tornado Safety page.
- Ready.gov: The Department of Homeland Security provides checklists for emergency kits and tailored advice for staying safe during high-wind events at Ready.gov/tornadoes.
- DisasterAssistance.gov: This is the primary portal for applying for individual assistance from FEMA. You can apply for aid, check the status of your application and find local recovery centers at DisasterAssistance.gov.
- American Red Cross: Beyond immediate emergency shelter, the Red Cross provides active support in recovery planning and identifying resources for long-term housing. Learn more at RedCross.org.
- SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline: For immediate, free, and confidential 24/7 counseling, you can call or text 1-800-985-5990. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers specialized support for disaster survivors.
- Red Cross Emotional Support: For guidance on how to manage the stress of recovery and how to talk to children about disasters, visit the Red Cross Recovery Services page.
