Heavy rains hit county

Heavy rains overnight April 6 and April 7 flooded parts of Chilton County.

With as much as 5 inches of precipitation falling in some parts of the county, roads were washed over, vehicles swept under and homes threatened by rising creeks.

Chilton County Sheriff Kevin Davis said deputies responded to a call at 6:50 a.m. April 7 of a female who was washed away in her car on County Road 480, near Verbena.

“Her car was underwater,” Davis said. “She started swimming out of the car, and someone saw her and took her to the store on County Road 59. Luckily, she was able to swim out of the car.”

Davis said deputies met up with the female at the store and went back to the scene where the woman left her car.

“The vehicle was submerged under water,” Davis said.

Davis said between 5:51 a.m. and 8:40 a.m. April 7, his department responded to seven calls that were weather related.

“There were trees down on Highway 22, a road was flooded on County Road 24 and a tree fell on a train in Verbena,” Davis said. “There was a lot going on [Monday] morning.”

Davis said a tree fell on a CSX train near County Road 59 and U.S. Highway 31.

The call came in at 7:41 a.m. as a road hazard call.

“A tree fell on the train and caused the train to stop,” Davis said. “CSX had been notified and they worked to get the tree off the train.”

The train blocked County Road 510 for much of the morning.

For others, the flooding hit a little too close to home.

Verbena resident Vivian Dolly watched as Chestnut Creek surged out of its banks and threatened her home.

Dolly said she became nervous about 7 a.m. when the creek had risen higher than it ever had before during her 14 years at the residence.

“It’s never done this before,” she said.

Verbena Fire Department and Chilton County Emergency Management Agency officials responded to the residence, and offered help removing Dolly’s possessions from the home if the creek kept rising.

Fortunately, Dolly didn’t have to evacuate her home.

“I’m really thankful,” she said.

The part of Chestnut Creek that runs by Dolly’s home is usually about 4 feet deep, she said.

The National Weather Service in Calera confirmed April 7 that 8.6 miles east of Clanton received 5.5 inches and the northern portion of the county received about 2.85 inches of rain.

Two storms shelters officially open in county

Two community storm shelters in Chilton County were officially opened on April 10 to be used in the event of severe weather.

The shelters, or safe rooms, located at Higgins Ferry Road near Lake Mitchell and 3885 U.S. Highway 31 next door to the Verbena Fire Department received a final walk-through inspection by the shelter manufacturers.

“We are doing a final walk-through of the shelters and turning the keys over,” Lee Helms with Lee Helms Associates said.

Helms served as the project manager for both shelters.

Dennis Weaver with Safe-T-Shelter safe rooms based out of Danville helped install the shelters at the campgrounds near Lake Mitchell and in Verbena.

“The shelters are tested against 255 mph winds,” Weaver said. “They are tested at a FEMA testing site before being installed to make sure they are going to work like they should.”

Weaver said the shelters can hold roughly 100 people.

Verbena Fire and Rescue Fire Chief Allen Goree received the keys at the Verbena storm shelter Thursday afternoon and said he is excited to have the shelter officially opened.

“This is going to be a great thing for this community,” Goree said. “I have already had a lot of interest from different people driving by wondering what was being installed.”