Area endures historic winter storm

South Alabama was dealt a blast of arctic sub-freezing temperatures that once mixed with precipitation, caused up to a half-inch-thick layer of ice to cover every surface.

The historic winter storm of ice and sleet, dubbed Winter Storm Leon, caused the city to essentially shut down for nearly two days.

The weather produced extremely hazardous driving conditions, but area drivers heeded warnings from emergency personnel and no major traffic accidents were reported.

Due to slippery road conditions, Enterprise and Coffee County schools were dismissed at 1 p.m. Tuesday and they remained closed for the next two days while roads remained icy.

City officials made the decision Tuesday night to close city streets and they remained closed until 7 a.m. Thursday morning.

County roads were also closed Tuesday night and remained closed until Thursday afternoon.

Alabama State Troopers responded to 10 wrecks in Coffee County between Jan. 29 and Jan. 30.

According to Trooper Kevin Cook, public information officer, none of the accidents were life-threatening.

"We've been fortunate that many of the wrecks haven't had injuries," Cook said.

Most of the accidents that did occur were mostly from vehicles losing traction and slipping off the roadway.

Enterprise public information officer Sgt. Billy Haglund said the city responded to several traffic accidents, but thankfully none had very serious injuries.

Haglund said police were able to remove a few limbs that had fallen in the roadway, and a couple of telephone and cable lines came down, but were able to be repaired by utility companies fairly quickly.

"There were several things I was pleased with and one is how the citizens responded when we asked them not to drive," said Enterprise Police Chief T.D. Jones.

Because residents stayed off the streets, Jones said it allowed officers to do their job and also assist the street department spread sand along the bridges and roadways to help improve traction.

"Officers did an outstanding job out there working long hours in the ice cold," Jones said. "The public works department is also to be commended for their hard work in putting tons of sand on the roads."

Because of their efforts, Jones said the city streets were in better driving condition more quickly.

Coffee County Deputy Chief Ronnie Whitworth said most people within the county also paid attention to the warnings and no major issues occurred.

Whitworth said the deputies were fortunate to have the department's four-wheel drive vehicles, which allowed them to continue responding to calls within the county.

According to Coffee County Emergency Management Director Larry Walker, power outages were minimal.

A couple of transformers blew in Enterprise, and one in the county, he said, but the outages remained localized and Alabama Power was quick to respond.