MONTGOMERY — Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded a $200,000 grant to assist the city of Henagar in repairing several streets damaged by tornadoes and further impacted during recovery efforts.
The Community Development Block Grant Urgent Need award will be used to repair all or portions of four streets damaged by a pair of tornadoes that struck Henagar and other parts of DeKalb County on May 8-9, 2024.
“Unfortunately, tornadoes are no strangers to Alabama, but experiencing two tornadoes touching down in the same area within a 24-hour period is extremely rare. While the damage was severe in DeKalb County, I am thankful that there were no fatalities or serious injuries,” Gov. Ivey said. “These funds will help Henagar repair 5.2 miles of city streets that were made unsafe by the storms and the subsequent recovery operations.”
In addition to sustaining damage from the EF1 and EF3 tornadoes with winds reaching 140 mph, the city received further damage from heavy truck traffic during the six months it took to remove the debris, according to city officials.
Scheduled to be resurfaced is all of Dr. John Elliot Drive and parts of Lacy Road, Wright Road and Troxel Road.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the award from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“ADECA joins Gov. Ivey in support of this project that will make these roads in Henagar safe again for residents, postal carriers, emergency vehicles, school buses, and all who travel on it,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said.
Gov. Ivey notified Mayor Lee Davis that the funding had been approved. The city has pledged $55,110 in local funds for the project.
ADECA manages a range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, recreation, energy conservation and water resource management.
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