Hurricane Isaias leaves trail of devastation in Lake Eufaula

Hurricane Isaias left a trail of total devastation in parts of Lake Eufaula overnight. “Oh my God. Oh my God, I am just sick,” Maria Watson told NowGeorgia.com upon her arrival at the property located in Pebble Cove, Eufaula early Saturday morning. The home was covered in trees and barely recognizable after the Category 2 Hurricane made landfall in the Gulf and made its way inland through Alabama.

Several stop lights are out along Highway 431 a major thoroughfare for those traveling to Florida beaches like Panama City. Eufaula Police Chief Danny Christ urged residents to stay home and reported major power outages on the north and south sides of town on the department’s Facebook page. Chief Christ said Eufaula is experiencing technical difficulties with the 911 phone lines and to call the non-emergency phone number at 334-687-1200.

“As a reminder, please stay off the roads as much as possible and prepare for delays or detours as we have several trees and power lines down. As you approach intersections, please do so with caution as several traffic lights are out as well. Treat all intersections with inoperable lights as a 4-way stop,” the Chief shared on social media.

As of 11:37 am October 10, Alabama Power reports there are 5,177 outages affecting 149,612 customers statewide.

Back at Pebble Cove which is situated on Thomas Mill Creek in Lake Eufaula family and friends arrived with generators and chainsaws to tackle the overwhelming task of removing the fallen trees. Maria Watson is the sister-in-law of the author of this report Robbie Watson. The Watson family has owned the property for 50 years. Bobby Watson Jr. spent several thousand dollars restoring the property after the untimely death of the family patriarch Bobby Watson Sr. The family is shocked and saddened by the storm’s destruction.

One fatality was reported in Alabama after a tree fell on a home in Birmingham according to the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency.