Coffee County storm damages mobile home, others

Coffee County resident Paul Smith looks down the dirt road he lives on and sees part of his mobile home roof lying in the mud. Across the home in a large field, parts of the wood off the porch and deck area are left in pieces from Thursday morning’s storm.

Smith’s home on Coffee County Road 466, near the Perry’s Store area in Kinston, sustained heavy damage Thursday, along with minor damage on a mobile home on County Road 467. Several chicken houses on County Road 610 were also hit by what is believed by officials as straight-line winds. Fort Rucker officials also reported minor damage.

Along with the roof disappearing from the Kinston mobile home, a front porch and a large deck on back of the home, were destroyed. A carport awning also fell on top of Smith’s vehicle with the debris damaging two other vehicles in the front yard.

The heavy winds swept through Covington County with damage reports in the Onycha area near Opp. The storm then moved in southwest Coffee County near Kinston.

“I was in the living room and my wife was in the back of the house,” Smith said. “In just a few seconds around 8:30 a.m., we heard these loud bangs and then it was over just that quick. I knew the roof was damaged, but I had no idea it was completely gone and how bad it was. I didn’t have a front porch to go out on. It was gone.”

Smith said he was amazed at how the storm destroyed the roof, porch and deck, but “nothing was hurt inside the house. We didn’t have anything broken. There was not even one window broken out of the house.”

A tree nearly 25-feet near the house was completely uprooted and a glass picnic table near the home was destroyed.
“I’m just sad, but I am thankful nobody got hurt,” he said. “My son and kinfolks have already came and nailed plastic up on the roof. We’ve got a few leaks, but it’s something we can live with right now.”
According to Fort Rucker Media Relations Division Chief Paul Prince,  there was “no significant damage” on the base.

“Two transformers blew and one road was temporarily closed, but there were no other reports of damage,” he said.

The electricity was out in some areas, but before noon, all electricity was restored.

The Coffee County Emergency Management Agency’s Assistant Director Larry Walker said in the city of Enterprise, only a phone line was reported down near ALFAB.

Around 7:49 a.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Coffee County, reporting a heavy storm with winds in excess of 60 miles per hour was reportedly located nine miles west of Elba and seven miles north of New Brockton. With the storm changing paths in a more southeast direction, reports indicated the heaviest winds were located near Kinston.
As severe weather is also forecast for Friday through Saturday by the NWS, the Coffee EMA recommends to keep weather radios nearby and listen to the latest forecasts and/or warnings in the area.