Severe weather potentially on the horizon

HALEYVILLE - Ahead of two possible rounds of severe weather forecasted for Wednesday and then on Saturday, Haleyville Mayor Ken Sunseri held a meeting with department heads to make sure all preparations were in place. First, Mayor Sunseri passed out an image released from the National Weather Service that showed higher possibilities of tornadoes for northwest Alabama from a time period of 3-8 p.m. on Wednesday. “We've been fortunate all along that we have not had any severe problems,” Sunseri said. However, other states did not fare so well. After the last preparation meeting held in Haleyville, a major tornado outbreak affected such states as Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Kentucky, where a tornado leveled the town of Mayfield. “If you remember what happened two weeks ago in Mayfield, Kentucky, it leveled that town, so we have to be prepared like they always do,” Sunseri stressed. Sunseri emphasized to department heads that all of their vehicles needed to be filled with gas and made ready on the day of the meeting Tuesday, Dec. 28. “We don't know what the situation is going to be tomorrow,” he said. Department heads discussed they expected the area to be placed under a tornado watch on Wednesday ahead of the severe storms. “We don't know what to really expect,” Sunseri stated. “We've been fortunate all along, but some time, our luck is going to run out.“ Mayor Sunseri advised department heads to get ready to prepare meals if needed. If a tornado watch is issued, all storm shelters in the city will be opened, the mayor assured. “Sunday is supposed to be worse, sometime between Saturday night and Sunday,” the mayor continued. The mayor suggested the water department to be a back up for Wednesday and Sunday, as well as the rescue squad. If high winds occur, they could easily cause downed trees in soil that has been saturated already from rainfall, officials indicated. Chain saws, the mayor continued, should be sharpened, said Sunseri, adding he would be in contact with Winston County Emergency Management to keep them informed of the city's preparations. “Again, we have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” Sunseri said. “The main thing is we need to take care of these people in the shelters.” Also, employees manning the shelters need to be relieved by other employees, especially if the shelters will be open for a longer period of time, the mayor said. “Let's go ahead and get ready for it. You have time now.”