Possible tornado strikes downtown Athens
Published 9:09 am Sunday, December 29, 2024
Courtesy Photo. Big tree down in front of Limestone County Courthouse Sunday, Dec. 29.
Courtesy Photo. The building with the Veterans mural blown over near the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives Sunday, Dec. 29.
Courtesy Photo. Utility crews work to fix down power lines after severe wind damage Sunday, Dec. 29.
Courtesy Photo. Debris from severe wind damage scattered throughout the city Sunday, Dec. 29.
Courtesy Photo. A HVAC unit that can weight over a 1,000 pounds thrown off a building in downtown Athens after severe wind damage Sunday, Dec. 29.
The Historic Downtown District in the city of Athens suffered severe wind damage, destroying several buildings and powerlines, after a possible tornado traveled through the area in the early morning hours of Sunday, Dec. 29.
According to reports from city employees and pictures circulating on social media, a majority of the damage to the city occurred around the square and the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives.
The Limestone County Emergency Management Agency has informed The News Courier that as of 8:30 a.m. that there have been no injuries reported.
“We are so fortunate, because nobody is injured or hurt that we know of,” Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks told the News Courier. “Our crews have been working all night to clean up the area and get the power back up and running. I’ve gotten calls from Congressman Dale Strong and several other mayors, state representatives and senators checking up on our small town. We are a strong resilient community, we’ve got a lot of damage and it’s going to take a lot of prayer and hard work to get us back together — but we will be okay.”
Limestone EMA has released the following statement to the public:
“Athens-Utilities has been working diligently to restore power outages. Around 3AM there were roughly 2500 without power, and currently there are roughly 750 outages within the county.
Please avoid downed power lines and areas of which crews are working. The following areas are closed due to debris or crews working; Pine Street, Clinton Street, The square around the Courthouse and Pryor Street at the Railroad Tracks.”
The city of Athens was under severe thunderstorm warning and tornado watch, but was never under tornado warning. According to Limestone EMA Officer Caleb King, the National Weather Service will be in the city to survey the area and damages to determine if it was a tornado — and the category of the storm.
“We do not know for sure at this point if it was a tornado,” King said. “Once they do their survey we will know for sure. We urge all residents to stay out of the areas that have been affected, avoid down power lines and let the crews clear the roadways. Any damage that they have should be reported to the National Weather Service, local law enforcement or our office so we can properly handle it.”
