Repton Still Dark as Storm Aid Stops at the Coast

By Melissa Hera, Repton resident, for ALPolitics.com

REPTON, Ala. — Five days after Hurricane Isaias, most of Repton is still without power, and residents say no one has told them when help is coming.

Isaias made landfall Friday night as a Category 2 storm with 105 mph winds. State emergency officials say a band of destructive wind on the northwest side of the eye tore through southwest Alabama. Repton sat in its path.

Photos from the town show the result. A brick building downtown collapsed into the street. The school building lost much of its metal roofing. Oaks and pines that stood for generations lie across homes, sheds and roads, and power poles are snapped or leaning throughout town.

Residents say the hardest part is what came after. Many homes here run on wells, so no power means no water. Families cannot refrigerate or cook food. On some rural roads, fallen trees still block people in, and neighbors are clearing them with their own equipment.

Repton is largely a community of seniors and lower-income families, many of them disabled. Those are the residents least able to cut their way out, drive for supplies, or wait weeks for the lights to come back on.

Residents credit their own leaders for what has been done so far. Mayor Joe Bartlett, Police Chief Omer West and the Repton fire department have worked since the storm passed to clear roads, check on residents and get the town back on its feet. But a small town's crews and budget can only stretch so far.

President Trump approved an emergency declaration for Alabama on Oct. 9. It names Baldwin, Escambia and Mobile counties and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Conecuh County is not on the list, and no federal aid for individual households has been announced for the county.

Residents are asking State and federal officials to add Conecuh County to the declaration and to send food, water and medical supplies now.

Images of hurricane damage in Repton, submitted by the author: