Since 7 a.m. Friday, Oct. 6, Alabama has been under a state of emergency related to Hurricane Nate. Nate made landfall in Alabama early Sunday as a Category 1 hurricane. It quickly was downgraded to a tropical storm and then a tropical depression.
The emergency proclamation prohibits price gouging, eases transportation restrictions for the movement of emergency supplies and alters regulations for filling prescriptions for noncontrolled substances.
When Alabama experiences a state of emergency, Alabama’s price gouging law is in effect.
ALABAMA’S PRICE GOUGING LAW: Makes it unlawful for anyone to raise prices on commodities or lodging by more than 25 percent during the declared state of emergency. To avoid violating Alabama’s price gouging law, figure the price charged for each of the previous 30 days. Add the 30 daily prices, divide by 30, and multiply the price by .25, or 25 percent, to figure the maximum price increase allowed for any one day. The exception is if a wholesale price increases by more than 25 percent and merchants have no choice but to pass along the price increase.
The fine for violating Alabama’s price gouging law can be up to $1,000 per incident. Those who willfully and continually violate the law can be banned from doing business in Alabama.
TRANSPORTATION
The declaration also allows truck drivers delivering disaster-related supplies and goods to exceed the hours of service or spend less time off duty than required by federal law. The waiver only applies to the time a driver is delivering the disaster supplies for up to 30 days after the emergency declaration, or until the declaration ends. Under federal law, a driver may drive only during a period of 14 consecutive hours after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty. The proclamation loosens that regulation only as it relates to the timely delivery of disaster supplies for the 30 days or less of the emergency declaration.
PRESCRIPTIONS
For non-controlled substances only, the declaration permits an emergency refill of a 30-day-supply of medication, rather than a 72-hour-supply. Those refills can be made through the presentation of a medication bottle that includes information the pharmacist needs to fill the prescription.
ROAD CLOSURES
The main site for the latest road and bridge closures and openings can be found at Alabama Department of Transportation Road Conditions. You can print off reports for counties where you operate from that site and it is updated regularly. In time of high volume usage, the site may be slow to respond.
For real-time road conditions, the department encourages you to visit https://algotraffic.com/
OVERWEIGHT OR OVERSIZE LOADS
For information on permitting related to oversize or overweight loads, contact the Alabama Department of Transportation’s Vehicle Enforcement Office from 7 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. CST Monday – Friday. The office is closed Monday, Oct.9, for Columbus Day.
EMERGENCY NUMBERS:
- For medical and life-threatening emergencies, dial 9-1-1.
- Drivers can report an accident or other emergencies to state troopers by dialing *HP on their cellular devices.
- Businesses that want to know how to help or donate to relief efforts, call 2-1-1.
WEATHER INFORMATION:
Click the links below for more of your local weather information.
Huntsville http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/
Birmingham http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/
Mobile http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mob/
ROAD CONDITIONS
For real-time road conditions, the Alabama Department of Transportation encourages you to visit https://algotraffic.com/
Visit Alabama Retail’s Emergency Preparedness page for other links to the state’s emergency management resources.