Severe weather hit Southeast Georgia and Northwest Florida Sunday, causing some damage and power outages in Gainesville.
The National Weather Service predicted possible isolated tornadoes and thunderstorm winds of about 60 mph in Alachua County between about 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., said Scott Cordero, the head meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Jacksonville.
In Georgia and Mississippi, tornadoes killed 18 people and left several homes destroyed, according to The New York Times.
While no tornadoes were reported in Gainesville, heavy winds knocked over trees and power lines. Crews with Gainesville Regional Utilities responded to at least 2,583 power outages in the city by 6 p.m., according to GRU’s Storm Central Twitter account. GRU encouraged residents to report downed power lines and outages by calling GRU emergency repairs, said Tiffany Small, a spokesperson for the utility company.
“We can’t anticipate what the weather will bring, but we are ready if any outages do occur,” Small said.
At about 5:36 p.m., Gainesville Police dispatch received a call about a large oak tree falling onto a home in the 2000 block of Southwest Second Avenue.
When an officer responded, he found no one home or injured.
Although Alachua County was clear of severe weather by about 7 p.m., according to UF Weather’s Twitter account, Cordero said Gainesville residents can prepare for future incidents by charging their cellphones and watching for emergency weather alerts either online or on television.
“It’s a situation that people have to pay very close attention to,” Cordero said.
UF spokesperson Janine Sikes said students should regularly check for UF alerts, which will be sent if weather conditions worsen or a tornado is imminent.
Students should follow the emergency guidelines of whatever university building they may be in, she said.
“I think that the big thing for students returning to campus is to be very aware of the system coming through, pay attention and not taking any risks that might threaten their safety,” Sikes said.
@molly_vossler
mvossler@alligator.org
@merylkornfield
mkornfield@alligator.org
A large, fallen oak tree on a home, located in the 2000 block of Southwest Second Avenue, on Sunday. The tree caused no injuries.
