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Severe thunderstorms swept through the area on Thurs. morning.

Waking up to tree damage and power outages Lisa Luker of the Alco community was one of many that suffered house damage due to the storm.

“I was still sleeping, but I heard the tree hit the roof,” said Luker. At approximately 8:30 a.m. a storm with tornadic characteristics passed over Luker’s street, taking with it an old pine tree in her front yard. “The firemen said they think that it was a small tornado that came up from Creek Reservation and came up here. The pine tree that had been here for years and years fell,” explained Luker.

Knocking a hole in her roof and causing damage to two of her bedrooms, Luker is thankful she is safe.

“The fire department came and got the tree off the roof,” she said.

Along  the same street, many houses had damage along with downed power lines.

With the storm came large amounts of rain and strong winds, resulting in power outages, flash flooding and extensive damage throughout the county.

On the City of Brewton Fire Department Facebook page, Chief Jeff Salter reported 22 calls in 4 hours. “In my 22 years this was a first,” he said.

Alabama Power reported 3,000 customers in Brewton and East Brewton without power at approximately 11:30 a.m.

After the storm, Beth Thomas, Alabama Power public information representative for the region shared, “Alabama Power crews are working as quickly and as safely as they can to restore service.

By 4 p.m., Thomas confirmed that roughly 600 customers were still without power and crews were working tirelessly to ensure the restoration.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience. We want to remind everyone that while our crews are working, we are also practicing social distancing in the field. If you see our crews, please remember to keep a 6-foot distance from them while they are working. Also, please remember to stay away from downed power lines,” said Thomas.