3 weeks ago
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ALERT DAYS FORECAST | STATE OF EMERGENCY | SCHOOL CLOSURES | WARMING SHELTERS | DEADLY COLD | NATIONAL GUARD RESPONSE | SNOW IN ALABAMA | WVTM 13 LIVE DOPPLER RADAR | HOW TO GET WEATHER ALERTS | UPLOAD YOUR WEATHER PHOTOSEmergency management agencies across Central Alabama are working to make sure you are prepared for this weekend’s winter blast.The St. Clair County EMA planner and operations coordinator said this year’s winter storm is all about being better prepared. He tells WVTM13 he and his staff learned lessons from the past to make sure they have what they need to best serve the county effectively. St. Clair County EMA planner and operations coordinator Shawn Windham said winter weather is not common in Central Alabama, but St. Clair County wanted to be ready just in case it hits. The county invested in a limestone screening truck. Fighting winter weather isn’t the limestone screening’s sole purpose. The truck lays down the limestone screening, which gives tires a little more traction on the icy roads than sand, but staff geared it up to help with snow removal if needed.“It certainly is something that they’ve prepared for this particular winter storm because in the past Alabama is so hit and miss,” Windham said. “You just don’t know. It is something that is on hand and ready to go should it be needed. We hope it’s not needed in mass, but if it is, they do have a supply of it.”The Lamar County EMA director said they learned from the snowstorm from around this time last year. As a smaller rural county with just close to 14,000 residents, EMA director Michael Wisdom said the winter storm left people without power for three or four days and icy roads made it difficult for crews to get to the areas without electricity. He believes even though the events are different, the tornadoes last month left 3,000 people in the county without power, and the goal is to keep that from happening again.With these severe weather events, the county came up with a new strategy to help out. That means the EMA worked all week to spread their vehicles across the county so they’re ready to roll when the storm hits.“ should be good depending on like the road conditions,” Wisdom said. “Last year, we had that storm that hit, and we had roads down that people couldn’t travel for about 3 or 4 days. I guess it’s going to really just depend on what kind of ice we get on our roads. If the ice is limited and we don’t do too bad, the response times from our first responders shouldn’t be an issue.”The Cherokee County EMA director told WVTM 13 that he and his staff are working around the clock as Central Alabama prepares for the winter storm. He feels the county is in a great spot as far as being prepared is concerned.The Cherokee County EMA director Shawn Rogers said he feels like this winter blast will be similar to "Snowmageddon" 2014, especially with where they are in Central Alabama. Rogers believes the county is unique because it falls within Birmingham’s weather forecast area but anything that comes through DeKalb County will affect the northern part of the county as well. That means he and his staff are monitoring updates from both Birmingham and Huntsville.Rogers feels that freezing rain and snow packed down on roads could be challenging and make for dangerous travel conditions.“I think — in my opinion — it may be a repeat similar to the 2014 'Snowmageddon' that gridlocked Birmingham,” he said. “It gridlocked us. We had kids at school during that time. Luckily, we’ve had several days in advance to be able to prepare for it before it gets here.”Other EMA directors like Tyrone Davis in Calhoun County said the weather is constantly changing, and that’s why he’s also pushing people to stay prepared. He feels the storm could be as bad as it's forecasted to be, but he also knows Alabama is unpredictable. Davis urges everyone to take it seriously.“We might get there Friday, and it’s a regular day,” Davis said, “but try to take it seriously. Like, ‘OK, they’re talking about there’s going to be some winter weather’ … If nothing does happen, don’t be down or say, ‘Everybody — the news, the emergency management, the National Weather Service — everyone blowing it up to be something serious.' We’re just doing our job to make sure people are protected.”All three EMA directors suggest staying tuned to your county’s Facebook page for the latest updates and making sure you have a plan if there are weather-related impacts. That includes having an emergency bag ready to go and making sure your devices are charged to get updates and check in with friends and family.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —
ALERT DAYS FORECAST | STATE OF EMERGENCY | SCHOOL CLOSURES | WARMING SHELTERS | DEADLY COLD | NATIONAL GUARD RESPONSE | SNOW IN ALABAMA | WVTM 13 LIVE DOPPLER RADAR | HOW TO GET WEATHER ALERTS | UPLOAD YOUR WEATHER PHOTOS
Emergency management agencies across Central Alabama are working to make sure you are prepared for this weekend’s winter blast.
The St. Clair County EMA planner and operations coordinator said this year’s winter storm is all about being better prepared. He tells WVTM13 he and his staff learned lessons from the past to make sure they have what they need to best serve the county effectively.
St. Clair County EMA planner and operations coordinator Shawn Windham said winter weather is not common in Central Alabama, but St. Clair County wanted to be ready just in case it hits. The county invested in a limestone screening truck. Fighting winter weather isn’t the limestone screening’s sole purpose. The truck lays down the limestone screening, which gives tires a little more traction on the icy roads than sand, but staff geared it up to help with snow removal if needed.
“It certainly is something that they’ve prepared for this particular winter storm because in the past Alabama is so hit and miss,” Windham said. “You just don’t know. It is something that is on hand and ready to go should it be needed. We hope it’s not needed in mass, but if it is, they do have a supply of it.”
The Lamar County EMA director said they learned from the snowstorm from around this time last year. As a smaller rural county with just close to 14,000 residents, EMA director Michael Wisdom said the winter storm left people without power for three or four days and icy roads made it difficult for crews to get to the areas without electricity. He believes even though the events are different, the tornadoes last month left 3,000 people in the county without power, and the goal is to keep that from happening again.
With these severe weather events, the county came up with a new strategy to help out. That means the EMA worked all week to spread their vehicles across the county so they’re ready to roll when the storm hits.
“[Residents] should be good depending on like the road conditions,” Wisdom said. “Last year, we had that storm that hit, and we had roads down that people couldn’t travel for about 3 or 4 days. I guess it’s going to really just depend on what kind of ice we get on our roads. If the ice is limited and we don’t do too bad, the response times from our first responders shouldn’t be an issue.”
The Cherokee County EMA director told WVTM 13 that he and his staff are working around the clock as Central Alabama prepares for the winter storm. He feels the county is in a great spot as far as being prepared is concerned.
The Cherokee County EMA director Shawn Rogers said he feels like this winter blast will be similar to "Snowmageddon" 2014, especially with where they are in Central Alabama. Rogers believes the county is unique because it falls within Birmingham’s weather forecast area but anything that comes through DeKalb County will affect the northern part of the county as well. That means he and his staff are monitoring updates from both Birmingham and Huntsville.
Rogers feels that freezing rain and snow packed down on roads could be challenging and make for dangerous travel conditions.
“I think — in my opinion — it may be a repeat similar to the 2014 'Snowmageddon' that gridlocked Birmingham,” he said. “It gridlocked us. We had kids at school during that time. Luckily, we’ve had several days in advance to be able to prepare for it before it gets here.”
Other EMA directors like Tyrone Davis in Calhoun County said the weather is constantly changing, and that’s why he’s also pushing people to stay prepared. He feels the storm could be as bad as it's forecasted to be, but he also knows Alabama is unpredictable. Davis urges everyone to take it seriously.
“We might get there Friday, and it’s a regular day,” Davis said, “but try to take it seriously. Like, ‘OK, they’re talking about there’s going to be some winter weather’ … If nothing does happen, don’t be down or say, ‘Everybody — the news, the emergency management, the National Weather Service — everyone blowing it up to be something serious.' We’re just doing our job to make sure people are protected.”
All three EMA directors suggest staying tuned to your county’s Facebook page for the latest updates and making sure you have a plan if there are weather-related impacts. That includes having an emergency bag ready to go and making sure your devices are charged to get updates and check in with friends and family.
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