A storm that left a swath of damage between the Troy Sportsplex and the Bullock County line still remains unclassified. 

Troy Mayor Jason Reeves said a survey team from the National Weather Service in Birmingham was scheduled to make a Monday afternoon visit to Pike County to determine if the storm damage was caused by a tornado. 

The possible tornado formed in the area around the Troy Sportsplex on Saturday night around 10:45 p.m. The storm tracked northeast from the Sportsplex and caused heavy damage to businesses along U.S. 231 in the vicinity of Flash Market. Reeves said the Pike County Schools Technology Center had roof damage and Kimber suffered property damage. 

From there, the storm continued northeast and caused substantial damage along Elm Street Road and Holley Drive. The storm also flipped over a trailer near the intersection of Alabama Highway 223 and U.S. Highway 29. The occupant of the trailer escaped with minor injuries. From there the storm entered Bullock County. 

Reeves said there was substantial damage to the Troy Sportsplex and softball fields. He said a team was scheduled to visit Troy Tuesday to see if Troy qualified for Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance. 

Troy Parks and Recreation Director Dan Smith said the recreation baseball and softball seasons were scheduled to begin the last weekend in March, but the rec department was taking spring sports day-by-day. 

“We will play baseball and softball in Troy,” Smith said. “rRight now, we just don’t know when or where we will start.”

Smith said the roof of the recreation center sustained significant damage, but Whaley Construction was currently at work on repairing the damage. He said Alabama Restoration was onsite cleaning up water damage and other associated clean up. 

Smith said there was some work that couldn’t be undertaken until insurance adjusters had inspected the damage. He said adjusters would hopefully be on site in the next couple of days. 

Smith said because of the damage, all youth sports practices had been cancelled. 

“There are some significant safety hazards right now at Sportsplex Sites 1 and 2 because of the storm damage,” Smith said. “Until those safety hazards can be eliminated, we’re not allowing any practices. From the fences to homeplate, there are safety hazards that resulted from  storm damage.”

Smith said the department was working to restore services as quickly as possible and were assessing the situation on a day-to-day basis. 

On Monday, contractors were working in the area of Flash Market, Buff n Stuff Nails and Mikata Japanese Steakhouse. Reeves said he visited the area early Sunday morning and there was significant damage to many of the buildings. He said, currently, he was aware repair work was underway, but didn’t have any specifics about when the businesses might reopen. Troy’s Juicy Crab was undamaged and open for business on Sunday and Monday. 

The storm also did significant roof damage to the Pike County School System’s Center for Advanced Academics and Accelerated Learning (CA3L) building. Pike County Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Bazzell said the building served as the headquarters for the system’s academies and STEM programs. He said the west section of the roof suffered considerable damage. 

“We lost a part of the roof and had significant water damage,” Bazzell said. “We’ll be without the use of this building for some time. By the end of the week, we should have a better idea.”

Bazzell said there was 1-2-inches of water in the building and water was also blown into the ceiling. He said there were also some issues with the air conditioning system and duct work. In addition, he said the school system may have lost some electronics equipment, but they were still assessing the damage to the equipment. 

From the area hit on U.S. Highway 231, the storm continued northeast toward Elm Street Road. 

Reeves said there was significant damage to that area including trees and debris in the roads as well as damage to homes in the area. 

On Monday afternoon, Reeves said the roads in the area were accessible, but traffic was being restricted to local residents because of debris removal and utility crews working in the area.