Monday’s Storms Cause Flooding, Destroy Barns And Flood Roads
April 14, 2009
A slow moving line of storms Monday morning caused a few problems across North Escambia and surrounding areas.
In North Escambia, many roads flooded temporarily as five to six inches of rain fell in some areas in the span of just a few hours. Jakes Road between Jones Road and Reynolds Lane was washed out and remains closed this morning. The seldom-traveled dirt road is in the extreme northwest corner of North Escambia in the Nokomis community.
In Escambia County, Alabama, more flooding was reported, with the Atmore Fire Department forced to rescue the elderly occupant of flooded home on South Main Street near David’s Catfish.
In the Robinsonville community of Escambia County, Ala., emergency management officials reported one barn destroyed, one barn badly damaged, a small shed destroyed, four broken power poles and a few downed trees in the area of Nall Road to Pouncey Road.
EMA officials said the damage occurred in an area three-tenths of mile wide and three-fourths of mile long extending from the southwest to the northeast. There were no injuries reported.
Pictured above: The remains of a barn and water tank in the Robinsonville community in Escambia County, Ala. Pictured below: Rain falls Monday morning at Century Woods Apartments on Highway 4. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Flood Warning Issued For Escambia River
April 14, 2009
A flood warning is once again in effect for the Escambia River near Century.
The National Weather Service has extended the flood warning from late this morning until further notice.
At 9 p.m. Monday, the state was 15.7 feet with no flooding occurring. Flood state is 17 feet. The river is forecast to rise above flood stage late Wednesday morning and continue to rise to 17.7 feet by early Thursday morning. At 17 feet, the weather service says considerable flooding of lowlands will occur.
Stanford Achievement Test Today For First, Second Grades
April 14, 2009
First and Second grade elementary school students will take the Stanford Achievement test Tuesday.
Bratt Elementary School offers the following tips for doing well on the test:
(1) Get plenty of sleep the week of the test. Everyone thinks better when they are rested.
(2) Eat breakfast. Breakfast give you energy for thinking through challenging questions.
(3) Arrive at school on time. If you are here on time, you will be able to take the test in your regular classroom setting.
(4) Be at school every day during the week of the test so that you do not have to take makeup tests.
(5) Read carefully and always do your best!
Portion Of Jakes Road Closed
April 13, 2009
A portion of Jakes Road near Jones Road is closed in extreme northwestern Escambia County.
The Nokomis area road is closed due to washout, according to Sonya Daniel, Escambia County public information manager.
Double Trouble: Rain And Cold Costly For Farmers
April 13, 2009
Excess rain and flooding was the story for everyone in North Escambia in late March and early April, but for area farmers, the impact may be on their pocketbook. Cloudy days, rainy weather, and now frosts and cold daytime temperatures have kept farmers from having less than an ideal start to the 2009 growing season.
Traditionally, the time to plant corn is late March and early April. Some farmers managed to get the seed planted in the cool ground, but soggy conditions have either delayed emergence, washed the seed away or rotted the seed. What has germinated has been patchy, and uniform stands are needed for producing a profitable crop. Many farmers have to re-plant, a pricey investment because of seed costs. Nitrogen fertilizer that has washed away with the 15-23 inches of rain is another expense that will be hard to swallow.
What about the wheat and oats that have been in the field and growing relatively well prior to the rains? Ponding water in fields is an enemy for healthy wheat plants. When you drive by a wheat field and see a huge yellow-brown patch where there was standing water, you can bet that there will not be harvestable wheat in that area.
Wheat roots are unable to tolerate wet conditions for any period of time. After one day of standing water, plants will start to show a decline. After three days, the plants will generally not recover. Even the plants that were not in standing water but in relatively soggy conditions can show signs of increased soil-borne diseases. Moisture on the leaves can encourage foliar diseases at a time when wheat needs to be as healthy as possible to make energy to put into the grain production. Farmers weren’t able to get into fields to make fungicide or insecticide treatments to their field because they would’ve been bogged down or the rain would wash the products away.
Finally, the soil hasn’t been able to warm up — a big problem for those who rely upon warm soil temperatures to help seeds germinate. The lack of sunshine, rainy days, cold fronts, and now frosts have really presented challenges to farmers. Escambia county producers grow some very tasty watermelon, but that crop will be delayed in many instances.
James Earl Hall, a watermelon and vegetable grower in Oak Grove, said that he’s already had to replant his melon crop several times because of the inclement weather. Eli Miller — blueberry, sweet corn, and watermelon producer — was so concerned about his seeds that had germinated that he set out to cover the young and tender plants with white Styrofoam cups on Monday afternoon. He’s hoping to have a crop ready for mid-June through the Fourth of July.
Wheat producers know that their crop is most sensitive to freeze injury during reproductive growth, which begins with pollination during late boot or heading stages. Temperatures that are only slightly below freezing can severely injure wheat at these stages and greatly reduce grain yields. No one will know the exact extent of damage to wheat until harvest.
Submitted by Libbie Johnson, Escambia County Extension University of Florida IFAS for NorthEscambia.com.
Pictured top: Eli Miller used Styrofoam cups to protect his young watermelon plants during the recent cold. Pictured below: An Escambia County wheat field; wheat is unable to tolerate extremely wet conditions. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com.
North Escambia Takes Spring Break (With Photo Gallery)
April 13, 2009
Last week was Spring Break for students in Escambia County School. We asked for our readers to submit photos of their Spring Break activities, and we have put together a photo gallery of North Escambia on Spring Break.
Click here for the NorthEscambia Spring Break gallery.
Austin Albritton and his parents Lisa and Randy traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada; Lake Havasu, Arizona (home of the London Bridge); Yuma, Arizona; Los Algodones, Mexico; San Diego, California; and Los Angeles during Spring Break. The Albritton’s flew to Vegas then rented a car and drove to the other locations and then flew back from San Diego.
Kendal, Kolbi and the Cobb family enjoyed part of their Spring Break on jet skis.
Jason Fischer, Chloe Leonard, Leah Fischer and Anna Fischer enjoyed Spring Break in Gulf Shores.
If you would like to add your Spring Break photos to our gallery, email news@northescambia.com.
Pictured: Anna Fischer on Spring Break in Gulf Shores. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Chiefs End Spring Break With A Win And A Loss
April 13, 2009
The Northview Chiefs split a couple of late Spring Break games last week, winning one over Washington and dropping one to St. Paul.
Northview 4 Washington 2
Washington took an early lead in the first inning, putting on on the scoreboard. But Northview answered in the bottom of the second with Austin Reid rounding the bases.
The third was even, with one each for the Chiefs and the Wildcats.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Chiefs secured the win with Dabney Langhorne and Austin Arrington rounding the bases.
The next three innings were scoreless, giving the Chiefs the 4-2 win over Washington.
St. Pauls 8 Northview 3
The end of the Spring Break games against St. Pauls did not go as well for the Northview Chiefs.
St. Pauls took an early 2-1 lead by the bottom of the first, with the Chiefs seeing Dabney Langhorne score.
St. Pauls upped their lead to 5-1 by the end of the second, and they scored again in the third and the fifth.
The Chiefs added one more with a Patrick McPherson run in the bottom of the sixth and Austin Arrington in the bottom of the seventh
But it was not enough for the Chiefs, with St. Pauls spoiling their Spring Break, 8-3.
Wish List: $1.41 Million For Atmore, Nothing For Flomaton
April 13, 2009
Alabama Congressman Joe Bonner’s $152 million in federal funding requests includes money for Atmore and Brewton, but no specific request for Flomaton.
Bonner has requested $1.41 million in federal money for Atmore, and $1.2 million for projects in Brewton.
The Atmore Airport Improvement Program would use $860,000 in funds to provide an access road from the Atmore Airport’s terminal area to Highway 31, rehabilitate the runway lights and make improvements to the safety zone. The new terminal access road will provide direct highway access to the airport hanger and terminal area. Improvements to runway lights and correction of grading in the safety zone area will enhance safety to the flying public while complying with FAA regulations.
Bonner’s request for $550,000 would construct a new elevated water tank in Atmore. The tank would provide both a potable water supply and adequate fire protection for the city’s commercial industrial development park. The water tank will also compliment existing water service to the Holman Correctional Institute by providing needed backup water supply.
The $1.2 million requested by Bonner for Brewton would be used to relocate a natural gas line that is currently on railroad right-of-way.
The largest request on Bonner’s list of local appropriations is $190 million for a new federal courthouse in Mobile.
The Congress must approve, and the president must sign off on, the requests prior to funds reaching local governments.
Repaving Project Underway On West State Line Road
April 13, 2009
A paving project is underway on a section of West State Line Road in Century.
The Town of Century awarded a $128,437.30 paving contract to Roads, Inc. of NWF for West State Line Road back in early February.
West State Line from Highway 29 at the Piggly Wiggly to Shady Lane will be resurfaced under the contract, a distance of about a half mile.
The State Line repaving project is being funded by Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) funds.
Pictured above: Work is underway to resurface a portion of West State Line Road in Century. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Over 200 Attend Egg Hunt At Solutia Park
April 13, 2009
Over 200 people attended an Easter Egg Hunt Saturday at Solutia Park.
The hunt was sponsored by the Pine Forest Assembly of God Church in Cantonment. In addition to the hunt, the children enjoyed several baby ducks at the park.
Pictured above: Children enjoy playing with baby ducks during an Easter Egg Hunt at Solutia Park sponsored by the Pine Forest Assembly of God Church. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.