FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ALABAMA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, April 7, 2014 Governor Robert Bentley has activated the State Emergency Operations Center in Clanton to a Level III to monitor current and possible incidents from the weather system moving through the State. CLANTON- Governor Robert Bentley has activated the State Emergency Operations Center in Clanton to a Level III to monitor current and possible incidents from the weather system moving through the State. The Alabama Emergency Management Agency will respond to request for resources and assistance brought about by heavy rainfall and flash flooding. AEMA will ensure the Governor’s standing priorities are being met. Those priorities are: • Life Saving • Incident stabilizations • Protection of property and environment • Preliminary needs / Damage assessment Extremely large amounts of rainfall moved through the State of Alabama Sunday night and into Monday morning. Flash flooding remains a danger in many areas. Flash floods can occur rapidly and unexpectedly, often within a few minutes or hours of excessive rainfall. Motorist are advised to avoid flooded roads and slow travel where standing water is present. Do not attempt to drive through flooded areas. Turn around and find another route to your destination or move to higher ground and wait for the waters to subside. Worse yet, flooding can wash away the road surface causing cars to become stuck and stall. Six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars causing potential loss of control. One foot of water will float most vehicles. Currently, State and local first responders continue to monitor the major impaired areas in southern Jefferson and northern Shelby Counties that have received five to seven inches of rainfall. Heavy rains continue in southeast Alabama where rain soaked creeks and rivers continue to rise. This situation should be monitored throughout the day. The Red Cross has opened a shelter at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, 1114 Oxmoor Rd, Birmingham, and Lakeshore West Apartments required evacuation due to flooding. _________________________________________________________________________ About SEOC Activation: There are four levels of operational readiness intended to facilitate development of staffing patterns under various readiness conditions and communicate the level of activity in the SEOC. An SEOC Level III activation involves any event that has the potential to develop into an emergency or disaster and will likely require the assistance of at least two or three State agencies.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 16:56:13 +0000
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