Shelby County prepared for inclement weather, EMA supervisor says

While Shelby County will still experience inclement weather as a result of tropical storm Irma, the impact will be less than was previously predicted, Shelby County Emergency Management Agency Supervisor Hub Harvey said.

Harvey addressed the Shelby County Commission during its Sept. 11 meeting, noting that Irma had been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm early Monday morning.

“Irma really reduced in strength as soon as she made landfall in Southern Florida, so she actually was just downgraded to a tropical storm in the last hour,” Harvey said. “That’s really great news for us.”

Shelby County can expect 20-25 mph winds throughout the day, with the possibility of 30 mph winds after 3 p.m. on Monday.

“It ought to be out of here by 3 o’clock tomorrow morning at the absolute latest,” Harvey said. “There’s a chance of some gusts of up to 45, but we’re really not expecting [that].”

Harvey added that they are “ready to go.”

“Right now, we’re just not expecting anything that major for Shelby County,” he said.

County Engineer Randy Cole said the highway department is prepared to respond to fallen trees if that situation arises.

“At the wind speeds predicted, sometimes we have tree problems, sometimes we don’t,” he said. “A lot of times it depends on how saturate the ground is, if the trees can hold on or not.”

Water Services Manager Michael Cain said they have also made preparations to ensure everything runs smoothly, even if the weather turns bad.

“They say plan for the worst and pray for the best, and that’s what we’ve done,” Cain said.

Other county business included passing the fiscal year 2018, approving multiple ALDOT contracts and setting the commission meeting schedule for the next year.