As of 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14, 28 Alabama counties are under a state of emergency related to hazardous winter conditions, including snow and ice. The affected counties are Bibb, Blount, Choctaw, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Shelby, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, Walker, and Winston. The National Weather Service on Wednesday, Feb. 17, issued a winter storm warning for eight northwest Alabama counties starting at 1 p.m. and lasting through 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 18. Three other Alabama counties are under a winter weather advisory through 3 a.m. Feb. 18, according to the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.
The state of emergency suspends COVID-https://alabamaretail.org/wp-content/uploads/2021-02-14-SOE-Winter-Weather.pdf19 orders that would endanger lives affected by the storm or would impede response to the storm. With that one exception, COVID-19 orders remain in place.
In a statement Gov. Kay Ivey said, “If weather permits and roadways remain safe, Alabamians who have plans to receive their COVID-19 vaccine should still do so.”
However, County Health Departments in three Public Health Districts will be closed Feb. 15-16, due to the inclement weather conditions. The closed county health department by district are:
• Northern District: Colbert, Cullman, Franklin, Jackson, Lawrence, Limestone, Lauderdale, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, and Winston. Those scheduled for booster doses at the Northern District county locations will be worked in over the next two weeks.
• West Central District: Bibb, Chilton, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, and Walker. All COVID-19 vaccination clinics scheduled for Monday, Feb.15 in counties located in the West Central District will be moved to Saturday, Feb. 20. Bibb and Perry County Health Department vaccination clinics scheduled for Feb. 16 are also rescheduled to Feb. 20. Appointment times will remain the same on the new date.
• Southwestern District: Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Dallas and Marengo.
- In Baldwin County, a vaccination clinic scheduled for Feb. 16 at OWA, 1501 S. OWA Blvd., Foley, has been rescheduled for 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19. A clinic scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 18, also was canceled. A COVID-19 testing clinic scheduled for PZK Hall on Tuesday was canceled. Please call 1-800-270-7268 with any questions.
- The 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. vaccination clinic in Selma on Thursday, Feb. 18, was moved from Bloch Park to Wallace Community College, 300 Earl Goodwin Parkway, Selma.
- A drive-through vaccine clinic at the Choctaw County Health Department set for Feb. 15 was rescheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 17.
- The Clarke County Health Department. vaccination clinic at S.P. Hudson Park scheduled for Feb. 16, has been rescheduled for 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19. The Clarke County Health Department COVID-19 testing set for Feb. 16 has been canceled.
- A walk-in vaccine clinic at the Marengo County Health Department planned for Feb. 15, has been rescheduled for 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19.
NATIONAL GUARD AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY:
The governor asked the National Guard to be prepared to be activated to respond to the winter storm event and the Alabama Emergency Agency to assess damages as a result of the event.
>> EMA: Prepare for significant winter storm (4:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14)
The statewide emergency proclamation prohibits price gouging and eases transportation restrictions for the movement of emergency supplies throughout the state.
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 Alabama 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.
The order also allows the Alabama Department of Transportation to issue weight waivers for vehicles and loads. Bridge and other structural weight limits and well as insurance requirements remain.
ROAD CLOSURES AND CONDITIONS
For real-time road conditions, the Alabama Department of Transportation encourages you to visit https://algotraffic.com/ or download the ALGO Traffic app available through the Apple App Store and Google Play.
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.
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 https://www.weather.gov/hun/
Birmingham https://www.weather.gov/bmx/
Mobile https://www.weather.gov/mob/
Visit Alabama Retail’s Emergency Preparedness page for other links to the state’s emergency management resource.
Originally posted 6:26 p.m. Feb. 14