Panoply Organizer talks support of recovery following 2011 tornado outbreak
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — This Saturday, April 27, will be thirteen years since 39 tornadoes tore through North Alabama.
Seven of those were devastating tornadoes; four EF4s and three EF5s.
Infrastructure lessons learned from April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak
That same week, the 39th annual Panoply Arts Festival was scheduled to begin on the 29th. Weeks leading up to the event, organizers had meetings with local partners, including the National Weather Service Office in Huntsville (NWS).
Allison Dillion-Jauken was the Executive Director for Arts Huntsville at the time of the outbreak; she still holds that position today.
“Our volunteers were out in the park on Monday and Tuesday setting up the festival and we knew to be weather-aware on Wednesday,” said Allison.
As storms began to develop, the volunteers took shelter in the Von Braun Center until the weather calmed.
Art, Music, & More: Panoply returns to Downtown Huntsville
That Monday before the outbreak, the wrong generators were delivered to the festival. This would end up being a blessing in disguise.
Following the outbreak, widespread power outages led to dire situations across parts of North Alabama. The main concern was getting power restored to the critical services.
“Those generators were then turned over to Huntsville General Services and EMA and it helped power water treatment plants and fuel stations,” added Allison.
For the organizers working closely with the NWS and their severe weather plans ensured the safety of all who attended.
“We know we might have severe weather it’s chance every year, we really work with all of our vendors and everyone who visits Panoply to set up and prepare for anything,” adds Allison.
The 2024 Panoply Arts Festival runs through Sunday, April 28th. You can find more about the festival on the Arts Huntsville website.
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