By By SHERRY DIGMON
Advance Staff Writer
You may have been glued to your television Sunday, watching the updates on Tropical Storm Barry, or you may have continued your usual daily routine.
In the end, the storm seemed to affect us little if at all.
That's not entirely true. You probably didn't realize it, but preparations were under way all day to ensure the town's well-being if Barry had come this way.
Don Whatley and the Atmore Street Department were out most of the weekend clearing ditches and drains. They can't prevent flooding in Atmore when the heavy rains come. They just try to lessen it as much as possible.
Members of the Atmore Police Department and Atmore Fire Department were on standby.
Several members of the local Red Cross chapter met at the office on North Pensacola Avenue to check supplies and prepare for opening a shelter if it became necessary.
As the storm approached, Mayor Howard Shell called two strategy meetings at city hall n one at 3 p.m., the second at 9 p.m., when the path of the storm could be more clearly defined.
The meetings represented quite a cross section of our community n city department heads, councilmen, emergency personnel, Red Cross volunteers, communications and utilities personnel.
All that day and into the night, there were people here who were ready to put a plan into action.
It's good to know that we have a plan. It's even better to know we have people who are willing to implement the plan and mobilize at a moment's notice.
We don't wish ill tidings for other folks, but we're always relieved when the storm n no matter how great or how small n goes the other way.
I'm glad this one went the other way. But I'm even more glad we have folks here to take care of us when the storm does come our way.