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The Brundidge City Council met Tuesday night and worked from an agenda that included an update on the aftermath of the late night storm that roared through Pike County on Sunday, April 19. The storm knocked out power lines throughout the City of Brundidge, uprooted trees, peeled back roof tops, crumpled awnings and pelted vehicles in all sections of town.

Thankfully, there were no injuries, said Mayor Isabell Boyd who thanked city workers and employees for the quick and able response to the storm. Boyd also thanked the Brundidge citizens for their patience in the cleanup process and also their willingness to do their part.

Willie Wright, assistant city manager, also expressed appreciation to the Brundidge city employees for their hard work and diligence in bringing some normalcy back to the city following the Sunday storm that featured straight-line winds that played havoc throughout the city.

“Our city emplyees have been working hard since April 19 and continue to work hard,” Wright said. “Our electric department did an outstanding job of getting power back on after the storm. We appreciate their efforts and those of other utility companies that came in to help.”

Wright said the city employees continue to work to remove the trees and other debris left behind by the storm. To date, 3,800 tons of debris have been removed and there is still work to do, including Ramage Park where downed tree are scattered throughout the city park and ballpark.

“Some areas take longer to clean up than others,” Wright said. “The city employees are doing a good job and we can’t thank them and all of those who are also continuing to work hard to get the city back to where it needs to be.”

Wright said the running cost to the city for the storm cleanup is at $298,942.09. He estimated that the cleanup efforts are near 60 percent.

There was no line-item in the city budget for storm cleanup so the city will have to dip into its reserves to pay the costs. However, Wright said hopes are that Brundidge will benefit from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)  $7.2 million assistance funds, if available.

“If so, all of the burden of the cleanup will not fall of the citizens of Brundidge and we will not have to dip into our rainy day funds,” Wright said.

Boyd urged the city council members to stress the importance of the 2020 Census to the people in their districts and to encourage them to “be counted.”

“The 2020 Census is crucial to Alabama in that we could lose Congressional delegates and it is especially crucial to  Brundidge because, if our census drops below 2,000, we will no longer be a city,” Boyd said. “We will be a town and that means we will lose funds in reference to education and medical assistance and opportunities for grant funding for different projects that would benefit our city and our citizens.”

Boyd said the 2020 Census form is simple and takes only a few minutes to complete but its benefits are far-reaching.

“Fill out the form on paper or online,” she said. “If you need assistance, contact Brundidge City Hall and someone will walk you through it. If you don’t complete your form and the ban is lifted on visiting, you will get a visit from a census taker. Complete your 2020 census form and help Brundidge continue to move forward.” The Brundidge City Council meets at 6 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.