CLANTON – In preparation for Subtropical Storm Alberto, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) is encouraging residents to prepare for inland flooding, coastal surge, dangerous winds, & potential tornadoes. Friday morning, AEMA held its state Coordinating group call with the Alabama National Guard, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Alabama Department of Transportation, the Alabama Department of Public Health & other state and local agencies. Each agency is prepared to pre-position resources & personnel in response to Subtropical Storm Alberto.
According to the National Weather Service, Alberto has the potential to become a Tropical Storm with significant impacts beginning along the coast on Saturday, spreading inland on Sunday and affecting a large portion of the state into the middle of next week. Along the coast, high surf will start on Saturday with heavy rain beginning Saturday night and moving well inland Sunday into Monday. Although it will depend on the exact track of the storm, indications are that much of the state will have 3-5 inches of total rainfall through the middle of next week, with some areas exceeding 10 inches. This would lead to extremely serious flash and river flooding. In addition, tornadoes could occur well into north Alabama next week.
“With any severe weather event there are lot of uncertainties, however awareness and preparation is essential for everyone,” Alabama EMA Director Brian E. Hastings said. “Today, I have been a part of several coordinating calls with local and state officials as well as our federal partners with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The goal is to expedite resources in a timely manner when requests for resources are received.”
The AEMA Divisions from central Alabama to the coastal area are on alert to support local county EMA offices. Additional staff is being brought into the State Emergency Operation Center to assist with storm preparations.
For residents needing to contact their county EMA director, a list of all county EMA directors can be found here https://ema.alabama.gov/county-ema-directory/.
Local weather information and alerts are available through the NWS online at the following websites.
- Northern Alabama counties: https://www.weather.gov/hun/
- Central Alabama counties: https://www.weather.gov/bmx/
- Southern Alabama counties: https://www.weather.gov/mob/
or https://www.weather.gov/tae//
For the latest information from Alabama EMA you can visit the agency online at http://www.ema.alabama.gov or follow us on Twitter or Facebook at @AlabamaEMA.
AEMA will continue to monitor Alberto until the threat diminishes.