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Rain, winds whip across county

—Deborah Buckhalter/Floridan

By By DEBORAH BUCKHALTER, Floridan Staff Writer
Published: December 02, 2009

The high winds of a two-day storm overwhelmed Marianna’s Christmas tree Wednesday morning.
Gusting winds pulled colorful ornaments off its branches, sending them racing down Lafayette Street. The gusts then slugged the tree hard enough to tilt it toward the ground.
City employee Luis Aviles was the first to arrive on the scene. He picked up the scattered ornaments with the help of some downtown merchants. Rain pelted his bright yellow slicker as he worked, the wind whipping it like a flag. He called for back-up as the tree began to lean, and soon a bucket truck and more manpower arrived to re-stabilize it.
There was a bit of good news — most or all of the ornaments were sturdy enough not to shatter on their way down Lafayette.
Although flooding is still a threat in the wake of the storm, there were no reports of serious damage as of late Wednesday afternoon.
One school bus driver wasn’t so sure that would be the case as she traveled through the Jacob area early Wednesday morning.
With trees coming down around her, she pulled over to protect the youngsters and called the bus barn to report the problem.
As a result of her observations, a tornado warning was issued for that area of the county. Officials have not reported a sighting there, however, and the trees could have fallen as a result of straight-line winds instead.
The Jackson County Road Department recorded trees down on only two roads Wednesday, Blue Springs and Alliance. The trees were quickly removed, and the road crew also responded to a single report of another road problem.
After being alerted that water was covering County Road 162 on a section east of Craftsman Road, the department remedied the situation immediately.