By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Local public safety officials don’t think the Atmore area will be too adversely affected by Tropical Storm Gordon, which was expected to make landfall as a hurricane Tuesday night, September 4, but those same officials are making ready for the worst.
“I think our biggest threat is rain,” Atmore Fire Chief Ron Peebles said Tuesday. “City crews started cleaning out storm drains on Monday. “I think we’re going to get heavy rain, but I hope (the storm) will go far enough west that it won’t mess us up any worse than that.”
According to the Weather Channel, the storm is anticipated to bring stiff winds and to dump as much as 4-8 inches of rain on some parts of lower Alabama. Peebles announced that sandbags are available at the Atmore Fire Department at city hall. “We’ve got sandbags for anybody that needs them,” he said. “They need to come by the fire department to get the bags. The street department has piles of sand and a couple of shovels over at the Farmers Market next to city hall. People will have to fill the bags themselves.”
The fire chief said that he and his command staff, as well as Director of Streets and Sanitation Calvin Grace and Police Chief Chuck Brooks have held several meetings.
“All we can do now is wait and see what happens,” he said.