ARA

Disasters

LAST UPDATED 11 A.M. FRIDAY, JAN. 11, 2013
 

Call 2-1-1 to offer assistance with relief efforts or to request assistance.

December 2012 Storms and Tornadoes
Fourteen different tornadoes, some of which crossed county lines, hit south Alabama on Christmas Day 2012. Three tornadoes hit Lowndes County, the most in any one county. Mobile and Pike counties were the hardest hit areas. (On Dec. 20, an EF-1 tornado struck Mobile. Then, a stronger EF-2 struck the city and Prichard on Dec. 25.) An 81-year-old Butler County man died Dec. 26 as a result of injuries suffered when a tree fell on his Georgiana home during the Christmas Day storms. On Jan. 10, 2013, the U.S. Small Business Administration declared Mobile and Pike counties along with the eight surrounding counties disaster areas, making those areas eligible for low-interest rate loans. For more information, call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (or 800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing). Additional information, including SBA disaster loan fact sheets, can be found on the SBA’s website.

 

SBA disaster assistance approved for Mobile, Pike & surrounding counties
SBA.gov

Ready Alabama  

 

  State of Emergency in Alabama

In case of a disaster in Alabama, the governor can make an emergency declaration and invoke Alabama’s price gouging law.

 

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.

 Emergency Agency Links and Phone Numbers

 

Personal Preparedness

Get 10

Being personally prepared greatly improves your outcome during an emergency situation. The Alabama Department of Health has compiled a list of the 10 items most needed during an emergency. You can find those items linked here and by clicking on the Get 10 logo above.