Residents keep watch on South Carlen Street

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Residents on South Carlen Street said some have become the victims of looting since tornado tore through the Mobile Christmas Day, damaging the area.

Like many on South Carlen, Michael Fedoroff was away with family when the tornado struck his street.  And like many, all the news coverage, texts and phone calls couldn’t adequately prepare him for what he saw when he came home.

“It actually looked like a bomb went off," Fedoroff said.

Fedoroff said he was lucky; he only sustained some water damage and broken windows at his residence. He’ll need his roof replaced, but he’s grateful considering what some of his neighbors have had to endure.

His said his main concern now is looting.

“[It's] the bad part about human nature, nothing like getting hit when you’re down," Fedoroff said.

Federoff said he has heard of copper, metal and appliances taken from some of the hard hit homes in his area. 

He said that’s the reason he has become a watchdog, perched on his porch protecting his neighborhood.  He also has lights installed on his own property to try to keep his stuff safe.

“We as a community have been trying to look out for each other.  Not a lot of us could stay in our houses, so me and a couple other neighbors have decided to stay here and keep an eye on things.  The neighborhood is pretty tough; midtown hangs in there, so I think we’ll be fine," Fedoroff said.

Mobile Police said it hasn't received any reports of looting, but they said they have boots on the ground to discourage criminals from taking advantage of people in hard hit areas.