Graphic by Bell Jackson The last days of October this year were overtaken by Hurricane Zeta, which made landfall with winds of nearly 100 mph.
After making landfall in the Caribbean on Oct. 24, it strengthened into a tropical storm and later into a Category 2 hurricane on Oct. 26.
According to FEMA, because Zeta affected areas already impacted by other hurricanes, it increased the threat of flooding.
While coastal areas like New Orleans faced flooding around 10 ft., futher inland surrounding states saw gusts of wind at more than 60 mph.
Damaged and downed trees were reported throughout the south. Chilton and Shelby County were hit the hardest in central Alabama.
High winds from Zeta felled several trees around the city of Montevallo, including two trees in Tinglewood in Orr Park, which are set to be preserved.
Nearly one-third of Alabama Power customers lost service. In Montevallo, power was not fully restored until Monday evening following the storm, according to Scott Moore, Alabama power senior vice president of Power Delivery.
In response to the storm, the University of Montevallo delayed opening on Thursday until 11 a.m. and later decided to close altogether. Later Thursday evening, an email was sent to students to relay that the University would remain closed until Monday, Nov. 2.
Several people in the city also received property damage.
Oak Park apartments, located on Mitchell Street, had a tree fall through one of their buildings.
Breyanna Hamblin, a senior social major at UM, is one of the residents at Oak Park and was there when the tree fell.
According to Hamblin, the “fairly large tree went through our catty-corner upstairs neighbor’s apartment.”
“I remember the girls [roommates Harleigh Roberts and Hayley Roberts] waking up confused because the ground shook,” said Hamblin. “We heard our neighbors screaming in panic, there were piles of brick everywhere.”
No one was injured, but everyone was asked to evacuate that night due to safety concerns.
While power has been restored around the south, cities are still working to recover from the damage.
Ariel Hall is a writer for The Alabamian. She is a senior communication studies major and enjoys reading and photography in her free time. Previously, Zoe has acted as editor in chief, lifestyles editor and advice columnist.
