Beginning on Friday, February 25, the Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday will run through the weekend and end on February 27. The holiday allows citizens to stock up on severe weather supplies that cost less than $60. Additionally, generators costing up to $1,000 may also be purchased without the state’s sales tax. Items include batteries, flashlights, radios, fire extinguishers, tarps, plywood, and duct tape, to name a few. The tax holiday comes as Sawyerville remains in recovery from an EF2 tornado that rattled the community on February 3. Repairs throughout Sawyerville have been delayed due to an onslaught of severe weather, with more expected in the coming months. 190 tarps have been stretched over homes with roof damage, protecting their interiors. “When it’s inclement weather we don’t want anyone up on the roofs and whatnot,” said Russell Weeden of Hale County Emergency Management. The recent inclement weather highlights Alabama’s Severe Weather Awareness Week. Governor Kay Ivey proclaimed the day, which began Sunday, to help prepare Alabamians for severe weather, which usually picks up in the spring. Last year, March was the most active month of 2021 for tornadoes, totaling 40. This year the tornadoes are also slated to be at their peak activity in March, according to multiple weather sources.
