Brewton Storm Damage: Isaias Tore Off a Roof in Ten Minutes as Franklin Lane Neighbors Begin Cleanup

BREWTON, Ala. — On Franklin Lane, the Brewton storm damage is impossible to miss. Days after Hurricane Isaias roared through Escambia County, broken power lines and downed trees still lay across the road, and pieces of homes were scattered through neighbors’ yards as families began what they expect to be a long recovery.

“It’s just really devastating, you know, just seeing the neighborhood like this,” said Hailey Lambeth, who lives on the street with her husband, Chase.

‘In ten minutes, it blew the roof off’

Robert Neal has lived in the neighborhood for about 10 years. Five years ago, he had his current house built there. On the night Isaias arrived, he watched the storm take it apart.

“The wind just went nuts over here that night, and it blow all the trees down, and I could see trees falling everywhere,” Neal said. “And in ten minutes, it blew the roof off our house.”

Part of the roof was torn away, and the debris ended up strewn across Neal’s backyard. With the roof open, several inches of water spread through the home, damaging furniture and sections of the ceiling.

Still, Neal said he was thankful that no one was hurt. After the worst had passed, he said, he found an unusual kind of calm.

“I just sat down in that recliner laid back and looked at the stars and went to sleep,” he said.

A first home, months after closing

Next door, Chase and Hailey Lambeth counted about 15 trees down across their property. The falling trees damaged a shed and their carport.

The couple had not expected Isaias to be so severe in Brewton, which sits more than 50 miles inland from the Gulf. That changed when they began hearing trees crash down behind the house.

“We really didn’t expect it to be that bad. And then we started hearing trees fall in the backyard and so we decided it was a good idea to maybe get in the hallway or the bathroom,” Hailey Lambeth said.

Moving to an interior hallway or bathroom, away from windows, is the shelter-in-place advice emergency managers give for high winds. The Lambeths had owned the house for only a few months.

“This is our first home. We just bought it in March. And, you know, it’s a little difficult just kind of going through everything, it’s going to be a process,” she said.

Why Brewton was hit so hard

Isaias made landfall near Destin, Fla., late Friday, Oct. 9, as a Category 2 hurricane and moved north into Alabama. Although its center came ashore well east of Mobile Bay, forecasters said a band of extreme winds on the storm’s western side swept from the Florida Panhandle north through Escambia, Conecuh and Monroe counties. Escambia County saw winds of up to around 100 mph late Friday night, officials said.

The result was some of the worst wind damage in the state. Brewton Mayor Frank Nalty has said every part of the city was damaged, and he has compared Isaias to Hurricane Ivan, the 2004 storm that remains the benchmark for destruction in the region. Nalty has pointed to the Alco area around the college and Franklin Avenue, Poplar Avenue and the Brewton campus of Coastal Alabama Community College as among the hardest-hit places.

Brewton grew up as a timber town, and tall pines and hardwoods shade many of its neighborhoods. That canopy became a hazard as the winds toppled trees onto houses, cars and power lines, leaving crews to cut their way into streets before line workers could begin rebuilding the electric system.

Power, curfew and cleanup

Hundreds of utility workers from around the Southeast have been working in Brewton to replace broken poles and restring lines. The city’s curfew remains in effect from 7 p.m. to dawn until further notice, and officials are urging residents to stay off the roads so line and debris crews can work.

Relief groups have moved into the city as well. World Central Kitchen has served hot meals, the Escambia County Community Enabled group has held food distributions, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has delivered water and tarps to distribution sites at Brewton Middle School, W.S. Neal High School and Catawba Springs Church.

Help for homeowners with storm damage

Families like Neal’s and the Lambeths’ face a long list of tasks before repairs can begin. Recovery officials and insurers generally recommend that homeowners:

• Document everything. Photograph and video roof damage, water damage, fallen trees and damaged belongings before cleanup begins.
• Prevent further damage. Cover open roofs and broken windows with tarps when it is safe to do so, and keep receipts for materials.
• File claims promptly. Contact the insurance company as soon as possible and keep a record of every conversation.
• Ask for volunteer help. Samaritan’s Purse is offering debris removal, chain saw work and temporary roof tarping for residents with little or no insurance. Visit its mobile unit on Belleville Avenue between First Baptist Church and the Escambia County Courthouse, or call 833-747-1234 and press option 4.
• Call 211. The helpline connects residents with local relief resources for unmet needs.
• Hire carefully. Use licensed, insured contractors, get written estimates and avoid paying large sums up front.

For the families on Franklin Lane, the work ahead will be measured in weeks and months. But as neighbors sort through what the storm left behind, Neal’s words echo along the street: no one was hurt.