Tuscaloosa, UA shelters open in anticipation of Tuesday afternoon storms

At Tuesday's pre-council briefing, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox noted city shelters will be opening in anticipation of expected bad weather later this afternoon.

"We are going to activate shelters; we'll be putting out infomation in the next 30-45 minutes," Maddox said, at a little after 2 p.m. "(The University of Alabama) has activated theirs, along with the Tuscaloosa County EMA .... It was my understanding earlier this morning the timing of the storm would be between 3 and 5, but I don't know if that's changed, so we'll continue to monitor. I'll know more in about 30 to 45 minutes."

Councilman Kip Tyner expressed the feeling many share, about sometimes seeming over-prepared, after the April 27, 2011, storms.

"Everybody has a little different feeling after 2011," Tyner said.

Maddox echoed that.

"It feels like, and this is not a bad thing, but I think we have such a hypersensitivity, that, in many ways we may overreact to something that used to be (normal) before April 27," he said. "But now that we've been through it, it's being alert and being prepared is the best way to do it. That way, you only fail on the side of being overly cautious."

Tech or Treat at the Gateway in Alberta, originally planned for Tuesday, has been moved to Wednesday night. The Alabama Panhellenic Association canceled its Trick or Treat on Sorority Row, which was also scheduled for Tuesday night on the UA campus. UA said the event will not be rescheduled.

Ernest and Hadley Booksellers has postponed its planned book talk and signing with Lisa McNair, to have been held in the Tuscaloosa Public Library. It's been rescheduled for 5 p.m. Nov. 17, with location to be announced.

A map of shelters can be found at www.tuscaloosacountyema.org/storm-shelters.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Tuscaloosa weather: Alabama shelters open in anticipation of storms