Dothan projected to receive heavy rainfall from Fay
AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Walter Michot
A man who said he walks the beach every day pushes through the rain and wind on Ft. Lauderdale Beach with his poncho blowing as Tropical Storm Fay moved into southern Florida, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008.
It will be a soggy weekend in Wiregrass if Fay has her way.
The National Weather Service predicts Tropical Storm Fay, which made landfall in Florida Tuesday, could bring significant rainfall once it reaches southeast Alabama this weekend.
“It’s still quite a bit uncertain,” said Ken Gould, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Fla. “It’s supposed to emerge off the central Florida coast sometime (Wednesday), then move inland either north or northwest. By the time it reaches Dothan on this track, winds would only be in the 15-to-20 mile per hour range, but we could be looking at potentially heavy rainfall, especially if the motion slows down.”
Houston County Emergency Management Director Clark Matthews is preparing for flooding scenarios.
“It’s supposed to be here between Saturday afternoon and late Saturday night,” Matthews said Tuesday afternoon. “We’re expecting copious amounts of rain, maybe up to 20 inches. It’s grown from four inches to 10 inches to 20 in the last four hours. Now what are we gonna get? Probably somewhere in betweeen.”
Gould said the most likely scenario is for the storm to reach Dothan either Friday or Saturday and produce somewhere between two and four inches of rain, which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.
“The best scenario is if we could get the rain and not the wind, not flooding levels, but a nice two-to-four-inch rainfall. We could certainly use that,” Gould said. “It’s very uncertain, depending on how strong the system is and how fast it moves. Right now, the rough estimate is two-to-four-inch rainfall, but that could change significantly either way depending on the speed of the system and the organization of it.”
Matthews said residents can go to the American Red Cross Web site to find a list of things they will need should flooding occur. He also warned residents to avoid driving on flooded streets.
Dothan Police Chief John Powell advised residents not to call 911 for weather updates.
“Do not call 911 for that. That’s not what the system is used for, and it ties it up,” Powell said.
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
I used the phone book people. The number 615-3000 is NOT a line to the police department. It’s for the City of Dothan. You have to wade through a dozen prompts to connect to the police. Another thing I don’t call the POLICE for weather updates or power outages but I do for dangerous non-emergency situation like a dog wandering around on Ross Clark Circle or a hazard in the road. If I’m in my car I don’t want to wade through the City of Dothan’s phone system. I want a direct line.
police station number is 615-3000 i used the phone book!
Look in the PHONE BOOK people - that is what it is there for!!! Why would you call the POLICE for weather updates or power outages anyway?
i agree that 911 is for emergencies but i also agree he should give people the non emergency phone number cause not everybody knows that number. i also agree for noone to try to drive across flooded roads cause you never know when an area is going to be washed out below the water and it’s too dangerous.
Every time I read an article Chief John Powell tells people not to call 911 except in emergencys. This is good advice but he doesn’t tell people is what the non-emergency phone number is.
News editor Christie Kulavich guides you to fun events happening in the Wiregrass.
Sports writer Drew Champlin writes about the latest sports news from Troy University.
Reporters Lance Griffin and Debbie Ingram write about latest news released on the country music development planned for Houston County.
Advertisement