Officials at Dothan Preparatory Academy (DPA) have been surveying damage and returning items to students after an EF-1 tornado damaged the school.
They released a statement saying the safety of students was always their primary concern.
“Due to the sudden nature of the storm, there was little advance warning, but our staff immediately enacted severe weather safety protocols to protect our students,” DPA stated. “The safety of our students and staff was our top priority.”
Several students were injured, but the school said they have all been treated and released to their parents.
Now, the focus is on returning items that students left behind when they ran for cover. Many of those items included backpacks and cell phones. No one was allowed in the school until engineers surveyed the building. School officials are now able to enter, and they are currently coordinating pickup plans.
The school remains closed until further notice.
City officials warn that there are still downed power lines.
"I want to say how blessed we were that it wasn't a lot worse than what it could have been had we taken a direct hit to the school," said Dothan Mayor Mark Saliba. "One thing I do want to do is commend all of our departments. Not just police and fire, of course, they did an amazing job, but also Dothan Utilities, Street Divisions, everybody, as usual, have come together to work towards making sure everyone was safe."
"I want to thank the Houston County Sheriff's Office, the State Troopers, ALEA was also here. This state and this county and this city come together when there is an emergency."
Officials asked citizens to stay away from areas hit by the storm. If anyone encounters a downed power line, they are asked to call Dothan Utilities at 334-615-3302.
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