Governor declares state of emergency for imminent winter storm
Due to the severe winter storm expected to begin Thursday night, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has declared a state of emergency beginning at 1 p.m. Thursday for 37 counties, including Morgan, Limestone and Lawrence.
“Cold temperatures have persisted in Alabama this week, and we are anticipating the potential for winter weather to impact our state, particularly our driving conditions,” Ivey said in a written statement. “As we all know, winter weather is challenging in a state like Alabama due to forecast uncertainties. That being said, I encourage Alabamians to make any needed preparations today, and if you are in an impacted area and do not have to be on the road, try to avoid it. Keep an eye on your local forecasts and stay weather aware.”
The declaration authorizes Ivey to activate the Alabama National Guard to assist in the affected communities. It also prohibits price gouging and waives some transportation regulations for vehicles transporting emergency supplies to the affected counties. It also gives school districts that close during the emergency the ability to appeal to the state superintendent of education for a waiver of the mandatory number of days in the school calendar.
The counties included in the state of emergency are Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Cullman, DeKalb, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Pickens, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker and Winston.
