Storm sweeps through county

BY BRUCE BRANUM

The Greenville Standard

 

A significant storm swept through Butler County Saturday afternoon with high winds and lashing rains.

The storm kept first responders, city and county and power company crews busy threw the afternoon, night, and into Sunday.

E911 was inundated with calls and radio traffic was non-stop for several hours after the storm finally passed.

By 3 p.m., when the main brunt of the storm winds passed through, trees were reported down on Booker Road, Taft Skipper Road, Boswell Boulevard, and Highway 50, Alabama Highway 10, and some in Georgiana.

Power lines across the county were knocked down by the fallen trees including a main transmission line on U.S. Highway 31 near Sunrise Cemetery. There were also incidents where power lines fell across roadway.

Several houses across the county also suffered damage from fallen trees but no injuries were reported.

Fire officials and power crews say the damage was wide spread

Alabama Power reported a total of 182,000 customers had power loss. Pioneer Electric said a total of 1,800 customers had power loss.

The death toll nationally reached 11 people nationally including two first responders in Lubbock, Texas, after they were hit by a vehicle while working the scene of a traffic accident in icy conditions, officials said.

Three people died in Pickens County near Carrolton.