DOTHAN, Alabama (WDHN) — Tropical Storm Debby strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane Sunday evening as the storm approaches Florida.
The Wiregrass is out of Debby’s reach, but rain and tropical storm force winds are still possible from the outer bands.
EMA directors in Houston, Dale, Coffee, Geneva, Henry and Early Counties tell WDHN they are keeping a close eye on the storm as it is expected to make landfall Monday morning. Officials tell us it looks like the Wiregrass area missed Debby, but if anything comes our way, they will be ready to go and have the personnel to handle it.
Dothan is being used as a staging area for the Alabama Red Cross. There were 15 volunteers from across the state in Circle City on Sunday to load trucks with emergency supplies, blankets, equipment and meals.
“Our emergency response vehicles are loaded with volunteers who will be going out into the community immediately after the storm to help anyone who needs assistance,” said David Rauch, a representative for the American Red Cross.
Electric companies in Wiregrass are also standing by in case they need assistance in areas that will be affected by Debby.
Wiregrass Electric says they have crews on standby Sunday in case Debby takes an unexpected turn. They have a six-man construction crew ready to help their Florida co-ops that will be affected, and they could be out early Monday morning to help.
Alabama Power says their crews are also on standby and monitoring Hurricane Debby.
“In the event of a power outage, our crews are ready to restore power to customers as quickly and safely as possible,” said Alabama Power representative Teisha Wallace.
Stay tuned to WDHN and our First Alert Storm Team as they continue to closely monitor Debby’s movements and provide live updates via radio and online.
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