Recovery, cleanup continue after Monday storms

News Courier (Athens, AL)

March 20--It is no secret that Southerners are hospitable creatures when they want to be, and the days after a storm are no different.

"It's been a wonderful response," Traci Bridges, vice president administrative of the Oak Grove-Thach Volunteer Fire Department. "Absolutely wonderful."

Bridges was one of several who worked Monday night through most of Tuesday to help those affected by storms and a possible EF-2 tornado that swept through Limestone County Monday evening.

"Some of us got a little bit of sleep but not a lot," Bridges said.

Wooley Springs Baptist Church on Bethel Road was temporarily turned into an emergency command center for local disaster relief Tuesday. Volunteers from all over brought water, tarps and other donations to help storm victims.

There were also donations of time and good old-fashioned hard work.

Bridges said the command center had a map with areas squared off. Volunteers who came to the center to work were sent to clear trees and debris from homes.

"They go in certain areas where there's command and people to guide them where they need to be," Bridges said.

Among the items needed most were tarps, gloves, hammers, nails and tack strips for attaching tarps to houses. Bridges said they were still looking for volunteers and donations Tuesday, and they would be back Wednesday if needed.

"The command center will be open until we have everything secure for everyone in our area," Bridges said. "They'll probably work through part of the night, and if we have to start back in the morning, we'll start back."

Anyone interested in helping with recovery and cleanup is asked to contact Wooley Springs Baptist Church. They can also contact Oak Grove-Thach VFD at 256-423-8144 or oakgrovethach19@gmail.com.

"We thank everyone that's pitched in and helped," Bridges said.

Cleaning up

The Limestone County Emergency Management Agency advised residents affected by the storm to observe the following when clearing storm debris:

--If a property owner, contact your insurance company regarding removal of construction debris;

--When disposing of vegetative debris, such as trees or branches, do so by burning it on the property, taking it to a landfill or transfer station, or piling it on the backside of the roadside ditch, away from the road and not inside ditches or blocking fire hydrants or mailboxes;

--Separate construction and building materials from vegetative debris when piled on the backside of a ditch; and

--Note that white goods (such as appliances and propane tanks) and household hazardous wastes (such as paints or pesticides) must be disposed of by the homeowner.

Limestone County Commission Chairman Mark Yarbrough said county crews are forbidden by state law to work on private property. As such, he advised residents to move debris to the county right of way.

"We're telling people if they can get debris to the county right of way, we can pick up every bit of it," Yarbrough said. "We're trying to get it cleaned up and get people back to normalcy as quickly as possible."

'No injuries'

Multiple sources, including Limestone County sheriff's spokesman Stephen Young and Limestone County Coroner Mike West, confirmed no storm-related injuries throughout the county.

However, several homes and properties sustained damage. The worst was believed to be a house on Gatlin Road in Ardmore.

Michael Schell, who owns the home, told The News Courier's news partner WAFF-48 he credits his grandkids with keeping them safe.

"If it weren't for the grandkids, we would have been in our house, so thanks for our grandkids," Schell said.

His daughter-in-law confirmed to The News Courier Tuesday morning they were inside the house about 10 minutes before the storm hit. She said they had originally planned to ride it out but finally decided to move to a neighbor's basement.

"Next thing we know, everyone is piled in front of our house and there's no house," Schell said. "It's bad. We lost garage, car, house. I don't know what else."

Elsewhere in the county, officials were affected by the storm. Young said Tuesday a LCSO cruiser hydroplaned on Interstate 565 while responding to a storm-related call and crashing through a fence. Yarbrough told WAFF Monday the Elkmont police chief's car was destroyed when another car fell on it.

Athens Utilities reported 1,300 customers without power following the storm. Crews worked through the night to restore power. By 3 p.m. Tuesday, they reported full restoration to all affected customers.

Although the Limestone County EMA released a list of areas to avoid Monday night, Daphne Ellison, EMA officer, said Tuesday all road were open and passable.

Ellison, along with meteorologist Kris White of the National Weather Service in Huntsville, said teams were still surveying and completing damage assessments in Limestone County. While he emphasized the preliminary status of the findings, White said it was likely one tornado of at least EF-2 strength touched down in Limestone.

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