County Impacted by Severe Storms

NEWS RELEASE

DATE: January 11, 2020 TIME: 6:00 p.m.                                      CONTACT: EMA 256.549.4575 (Office)

ema@cityofgadsden.com

 

County Impacted by Severe Storms

On January 11th, 2020 Etowah County was affected by a complex of severe storms – leaving a swath of damage in its wake that primarily affected the western and central areas of the county. By early afternoon, the Gadsden/Etowah County Emergency Management Agency had received close to 30 reports of varying degrees of damage. The National Weather Service in Birmingham made area Emergency Management Agencies aware of this potential storm system as early as last Saturday – allowing ample time for preparedness information to be pushed out to citizens.

While Etowah County had many reports of downed trees and downed power lines, thankfully no injuries were reported to the EMA. Sadly, other areas in the state were not as fortunate. As of 5:30 PM, three fatalities had been reported in Pickens County related to the storm. Director Gaither said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those families and friends affected by today’s storms.” Locally, EMA staff and volunteers monitored the storm’s progress from their Emergency Operations Center’s new location inside the 911 center.

For more information, contact the Gadsden/Etowah EMA at 256-549-4575
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