✕
☰

Hoover schools close Monday due to Irma; other events/meetings still planned

by

Image from National Weather Service

Hoover school officials decided to close Hoover schools Monday and postpone two school board meetings due to Hurricane Irma.

But the city’s Patriot Day ceremony, city budget hearing, special Hoover City Council meeting and Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission meeting are still scheduled to go as planned.

Hoover City Schools spokesman Jason Gaston said the closure of schools Monday also means there will be no after-school or evening school-related activities either. School officials will continue to monitor weather conditions and if a Tuesday closure is warranted, school officials will make and communicate that decision as quickly as possible Monday, Gaston said.

Twelve-month school employees should still report to work on Monday, he said.

Hoover’s Patriot Day ceremony at Hoover Fire Station No. 2 off Patton Chapel Road is still scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday.

Also, the Hoover City Council is holding budget hearings with city department heads Monday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Here is the revised schedule for those hearings:

Monday, Sept. 11

Tuesday, Sept. 12

The Hoover City Council also still will hold a special-called meeting at 5 p.m. to consider economic development incentives for three shopping centers and proposed agreements for the city to lease the Artists on the Bluff facility in Bluff Park from the Hoover school board and sublease it to the Artists on the Bluff group. 

The Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission will hold its regular September meeting Monday night as well, including a 5 p.m. work session in the conference room behind the council chambers and a 5:30 p.m. action meeting in the council chambers. All of these meetings are open to the public.

Governor urges preparation

In a press conference Sunday afternoon, Gov. Kay Ivey urged all Alabamians, but especially those in the direct path of the storm, to be prepared. “Please be sure that you take this storm seriously,” she said.

Ivey said that the state is ready for Irma and that she has activated the National Guard and directed the opening of at least four emergency management control centers in the eastern half of the state.

“This is an all-hands-on-deck event,” she said.

Ivey said President Donald Trump had called her twice Sunday, assuring her that the full force of federal agencies was ready to engage in Alabama as well.

Additionally, Ivey said Alabama stands ready to help those in Florida hit with the full force of Irma, and the state will send resources to those areas as Florida officials see useful.

John De Block of the National Weather Service said at the press conference that most of Alabama will experience regular thunderstorm conditions, but that there is a high likelihood that Irma will move into at least part of the state as a tropical storm before weakening as it moves northwest. See the latest about Irma from the National Weather Service here.

Over the 24 to 36 hours between Monday and Wednesday, De Block said people in manufactured or mobile homes in the path of Irma might consider moving to a more sturdy place of shelter. He and other forecasters also are increasingly concerned about the impact of falling trees on structures.

Because of the chance of torrential rainfall, De Block said drivers should, as always, avoid driving into standing water.

Those considering travel to other parts of the state should check algotraffic.com for traffic information and conditions.

Emily Featherston contributed to this report.

Back to topbutton