By John Brice
Correspondent
Warnings from the National Weather Service office in Birmingham last week alerting Chambers County to the imminent danger posed by Hurricane Helene resulted in school closings and canceled local events out of an abundance of caution.
Fortunately for Chambers County, Hurricane Helene defied early forecasts of its storm path following the Alabama Georgia line along the Interstate 85 corridor and instead the massive storm shifted eastward after making landfall near the town of Perry on Florida’s gulf coast shortly after 11pm Eastern Standard Time late in the evening on Thursday, September 26th of 2024.
Spared from the worst effects of the hurricane, Chambers County breathed a sigh of relief after two days of heavy rain that caused some instances of moderate flooding without any reports of serious property damage, injuries or loss of life.
Reflecting on what many felt was the dodging of a bullet in Chambers County that ultimately resulted in over one-hundred fatalities, widespread power outages and extensive property damage further east across central Georgia as well as North and South Carolina, many local residents were impacted nevertheless by schools switching to distance learning with students staying home and important events being canceled.
In a September 25th post to its official Facebook page, the Chambers County School District stated “Good afternoon CCSD parents, students and staff, We are monitoring the weather & the impact on Chambers County. Please know that we will wait to make a final decision when we have a better understanding of the timing and forecast for our area. Please stay weather aware.” In a follow up post later that day the CCSD noted “Due to an abundance of caution, the CCSD will release students on Thursday, Sept. 26th at 12 noon local time for schools. Friday, Sept. 27th will be an E-Learning Day for all students & staff working from home. This decision was made as a safety precaution. Stay weather aware.”
Lanett City Schools communicated through their own official Facebook page on September 25th with a safety weather announcement which stated “LCS school officials have conducted an assessment of the roadways along several bus routes and have determined that some may be completely impassable by morning due to continual rain, which poses a huge transportation safety concern. Therefore, the decision has been made to convert our mode of instruction to eLearning for Thursday, September 26. Students should log in to Schoology to complete assignments. In addition, all extracurricular activities, including athletic practices and events are cancelled. Staff expectations will be communicated through separate correspondence.” In a follow up post the next day, LCS noted “Safety is a top priority at Lanett City Schools. Based on the latest forecast, Friday, September 27 will be an eLearning Day for students and staff. Opportunities for makeup work will be provided for students who experience a loss of power. As of now, the homecoming ceremony and football game scheduled for Friday evening will proceed as planned, weather permitting. We encourage you to remain weather alert, using a trusted weather service.”
Homecoming ceremonies on September 27th for Lanett High School were moved indoors and held in the gymnasium with the parade canceled altogether. Scheduling later that evening for the Lanett Panthers homecoming game against Handley High School was unaffected and the community sporting event proceeded unhindered by weather which at that point had turned cool and dry much to the relief of their fans and supporters.
