'The Hoover Met is home': Evacuees take shelter in Hoover's stadium area

4 months ago 2

TALLAHASSEE. I’M ANGELA ROZIER, REPORTING. FOR THE LAST FEW DAYS, FLORIDA EVACUEES HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A SAFE PLACE TO RIDE OUT THE STORM. AND MANY OF THEM FINDING THEMSELVES IN HOOVER. THAT’S WHERE WE FIND WVTM 13 S BRYCE OSELEN LIVE AND LOCAL. HOW MANY FOLKS DO YOU SEE OUT THERE RIGHT NOW? BRYCE? YEAH. GUY. SHERI. DOZENS OF PEOPLE ARE HERE ATTEMPTING TO ESCAPE INCLEMENT WEATHER. I SPOKE WITH ONE FATHER WHO SAYS HE’D DRIVE ANYWHERE TO PROTECT HIS FAMILY. I MADE A DECISION TO GO AHEAD FOR THE ENTRANCE OF MY FAMILY, TO GET OUT OF THE HIGH WIND AREA, JUST BECAUSE IT’S PROBABLY NOT THE MOST CONDUCIVE. NATHANIEL JONES LIVES IN FORT NOVOSELE, ALABAMA. JUST A COUPLE OF HOURS FROM WHERE HELENE WAS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL. HE SAYS HE HAS FOUR REASONS TO GET OUT OF HARM’S WAY. HIS WIFE AND THREE CHILDREN. WE SOLIDIFIED A DECISION FOR ME WAS MY FAMILY. I’M BIG ON SAFETY. SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT, AND EVERYTHING I DO IS FOR THEM. JONES SAYS HE HAS PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE WITH BAD WEATHER THAT HE’D LIKE HIS CHILDREN TO AVOID. I KNOW I CAN WEATHER SOME STORMS. I’VE BEEN THROUGH TORNADOES AND STUFF IN NORTH CAROLINA. I’M FROM MISSOURI, WHERE THERE’S STUFF LIKE THAT ALL THE TIME. BUT I ALSO KNOW THE TRAUMA THAT THAT STUFF CAN HAVE ON CHILDREN WHEN THEY’RE NOT EXPECTING FOR IT. MY SON, HE’S AWARE OF HURRICANES ON THE NEWS. THEY’VE BEEN TELLING ME ABOUT HURRICANES AND STUFF, AND MY DAD TOLD ME THEY WAS HE WAS LIKE, WELL, THERE’S A FLOOD THAT’S GOING TO. THE FLOOD IS NOT COMING. IT’S NOT GOING TO REALLY COME FOR US, BUT IT’S REALLY GOING TO GO TO FLORIDA AND GET GEORGIA. AND SO WE’RE LIKE, OH, I HOPE IT’S GOING TO BE SAFE. I HOPE IT’S NOT DESTROYED. HOOVER PARKS AND REC DIRECTOR AARON COBLE SAYS THE CITY HAS NO PROBLEM WELCOMING PEOPLE SEEKING SHELTER. WE’RE VERY SENSITIVE TO THE STRESS THAT THAT CAUSES WHEN A BIG STORM COMES AND THE NEED TO GET OUT OF TOWN AND SEEK SHELTER SOMEWHERE ELSE IN A NEARBY SAFE LOCATION. AS THE STORM APPROACHES, JONES PREPARES TO MAKE THE HOOVER MET HIS HOME. I’M GLAD I MADE A DECISION BECAUSE BIRMINGHAM IS FURTHER INLAND. IT’S ABOUT THREE HOURS FROM WHERE WE ARE AND THEN CHECKING THE UPDATED NEWS REPORTS AND JUST SEEING THE WIND ADVISORIES. I THINK WE MADE THE RIGHT DECISION. THE PARK IS AVAILABLE 24 OVER SEVEN, FREE OF CHARGE FOR THOSE IN NEED. LIVE IN HOOVER

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'The Hoover Met is home': Evacuees take shelter in Hoover's stadium area

Some people escaping from Hurricane Helene headed to Hoover to take refuge Thursday.“I made a decision to go ahead for the interest of my family to get out of the high wind area just because it's not conducive," Nathaniel Jones said. Jones lives in Fort Novosel, Alabama, just a couple of hours from where Helene was expected to make landfall.He says he has four reasons to get out of harm’s way: his wife and three children. Jones says he has plenty experience with bad weather, that he'd like his children to avoid.“I know I can weather some storms. I’ve been through some tornados and stuff in North Carolina. I’m from Missouri, where it's stuff like that all of the time, but I also know the trauma that stuff can have on children when they're not expecting it. My son, he's aware of hurricanes,” Jones said. >> BE AWARE: Current weather alerts in your areaHoover Parks and Rec Director Erin Colbaugh said the city has no problem welcoming people seeking shelter.“We're very sensitive to the stress that is caused when a big storm comes and the need to get out of town, seek shelter somewhere else in a nearby safe location,” Colbaugh said.The facility has opened its doors to evacuess of past hurricanes.As the storm approached, Jones prepared to make the Hoover Met Stadium his temporary home.“I’m glad I made a decision cause Birmingham is further inland. It's about three hours from where we are, and then checking the updated news reports and just seeing the wind advisories, I think we made the right choice,” Jones said. The stadium’s RV area was available free of charge for people with campers to seek shelter from the hurricane.>> FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

HOOVER, Ala. —

Some people escaping from Hurricane Helene headed to Hoover to take refuge Thursday.

“I made a decision to go ahead for the interest of my family to get out of the high wind area just because it's not conducive," Nathaniel Jones said.

Jones lives in Fort Novosel, Alabama, just a couple of hours from where Helene was expected to make landfall.

He says he has four reasons to get out of harm’s way: his wife and three children. Jones says he has plenty experience with bad weather, that he'd like his children to avoid.

“I know I can weather some storms. I’ve been through some tornados and stuff in North Carolina. I’m from Missouri, where it's stuff like that all of the time, but I also know the trauma that stuff can have on children when they're not expecting it. My son, he's aware of hurricanes,” Jones said.

>> BE AWARE: Current weather alerts in your area

Hoover Parks and Rec Director Erin Colbaugh said the city has no problem welcoming people seeking shelter.

“We're very sensitive to the stress that is caused when a big storm comes and the need to get out of town, seek shelter somewhere else in a nearby safe location,” Colbaugh said.

The facility has opened its doors to evacuess of past hurricanes.

As the storm approached, Jones prepared to make the Hoover Met Stadium his temporary home.

“I’m glad I made a decision cause Birmingham is further inland. It's about three hours from where we are, and then checking the updated news reports and just seeing the wind advisories, I think we made the right choice,” Jones said.

The stadium’s RV area was available free of charge for people with campers to seek shelter from the hurricane.

>> FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube