Auburn and Opelika residents are still putting the pieces back together after the Nov. 16 tornado, and local officials say cleanup is progressing.
"When the tornadoes hit we actually had people in the field very close to that location where the storm hit," said Auburn Public Works director and city engineer Jeffrey Ramsey. "And so we were really able to mobilize very quickly."
Ramsey said city workers were evaluating the damage within 15 minutes, and the roads were cleared within three to four hours.
Kathrine Raines, Lee County Emergency Management Agency director, said they also began coordinating efforts to help those impacted almost immediately after the storms came through.
"What we do here is coordinate the response of the community," Raines said. "If anyone has any needs--any kind of assistance that they're looking for, whether it be in cutting trees or whatever they need--if they would please call 2-1-1, we have had some offers from some faith-based groups to help people."
Raines said the efforts by the Red Cross and the Salvation Army were fantastic.
"We didn't have enough people to even open shelters, so the Red Cross was placing them in hotels," Raines said. "They were also helping some (renters) find ... another place to rent."
Ramsey said about 1,000 trees were downed by the storms, and approximately 237 structures were damaged. The public works department focuses on removing debris that residents place on streets outside of homes.
"It could be as much as three or four weeks before everybody gets everything moved to the right-of-way, and then we can haul it off," Ramsey said.
Power outages were another aspect of the storm's damage.
"A number of power poles were broken, (and) a number of trees were on power lines and brought the lines down," said Mike Jordan, external affairs manager for Alabama Power Company, Southern Division.
He said the tornado, along with the accompanying straight-line winds, resulted in the loss of power for about 12,000 people in the area.
"Because we were able to get more crews in, it allowed us to restore the power much faster than we would have otherwise," Jordan said.
The more localized damage meant crews in other areas of the state could assist the Auburn and Montgomery areas.
"Most everyone had power by 4 o'clock that next morning," he said.
Raines said some people may have thought the tornado sirens were the regular weekly tests.
"We never test the sirens on Wednesday when there's any threatening weather," Raines said. "But this is the first time that I'm aware of that we have ever had a real tornado warning that close to Wednesday at noon."
Raines also said people shouldn't rely on the sirens as their primary alert system.
"The outdoor warning sirens are actually not meant to warn people in their homes," Raines said. "We strongly encourage people to have a NOAA weather radio in their home."
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