Tornadoes knock out power
The City of Hartselle is in the dark today after a series of tornadoes struck Morgan and surrounding counties Wednesday.
No tornadoes struck Hartselle, but tornadoes knocked out 25 main transmission lines from the TVA Brown’s Ferry Nuclear Plant. Officials with Hartselle Utilities said TVA was working to get Hartselle power from Guntersville’s hydro-electric power plant, but they said that would not be possible because there is enough power.
Utility officials also indicated that it would be at least five days before power is restored.
Sparkman Civic Center is open as public shelter. Some food will be available.
Residents are also standing in long lines to purchase fuel at gas stations that are running on generators. Some are limiting the amount of fuel they are selling to customers.
Corum’s Building Center and Lowe’s are open, but some are out of emergency supplies such as generators.
Hartselle City Schools are closed for the rest of the week. Most businesses are closed for business until power can be restored.
The Hartselle Fine Arts Center Silent Auction has been canceled for Friday and Saturday. Hartselle’s Relay for Life has been canceled for this weekend as well.
The Alabama Emergency Management Agency is reporting 162 deaths statewide, with one of the hardest hit areas being in Tuscaloosa and Dekalb counties.
