If there’s one thing we know about Tallapoosa County, it responds well in a crisis situation.
Over the last few years, the county has been hit with multiple tornadoes, a mass shooting and a microburst in Alexander City. Each and every time, we’ve been amazed at the outpouring of response.
Most recently, an EF-4 tornado ripped through Jackson’s Gap, upending homes and sending belongings quite literally spiraling. Roofs were torn off, and people were left without power and water. However, just two days after the tornado, American Red Cross officials said there wasn’t much left for them to do because the community had done so much in terms of clearing trees, gathering supplies and tarps and just generally helping their neighbors.
Currently, Tallapoosa County officials are undergoing a countywide disaster drill that pulls together resources such as the fire and police departments, the Tallapoosa County Emergency Management Agency, the Red Cross, the Lake Martin Area United Way and even entities such as the hospital at Russell Medical, which plays a critical role every time there’s a disaster.
It’s not enough to go through real-life situations, which our men and women in uniform do every day, but they’re taking it one step further. They’re actually putting a real plan into action before a disaster strikes to be better prepared when the unthinkable happens.
We also want to applaud the county officials for thinking outside the box when it comes to the mock disaster. Because we’ve experienced so many bad weather instances, it didn’t seem practical or necessary to practice those steps. Instead, the mock drill had to do with what would happen if a water source was lost for multiple days.
It’s something very little counties would be prepared for, and we’re thankful our county is taking steps toward protecting us when we need it most.
