Today marks the one year anniversary of the deadly tornado that swept through Prattville destroying homes, businesses, and property.

The Montgomery Advertiser talked with Prattville Mayor Jim Byard Jr.

“Overall I would give the city, both the government and our residents, very high marks for how the response and recovery effort has gone,” said Byard.

Mayor Byard said cities cannot fully prepare for natural disasters, but the keys to keeping a community together are resilience and can-do attitudes.

"Along with the tireless efforts of our city staff and employees ... In the hours and days right after the tornado, we had a difficult time getting employees to go home and rest. They wanted to stay on the line and take care of our citizens. They wanted to get the job done."

According to The Montgomery Advertiser, another challenge after the tornado was surprisingly, the arrival of thousands of volunteers who came to Prattville’s rescue. While volunteers are not usually considered a challenge but a welcome relief, they can get restless if they aren’t quickly assigned work to do. Mayor Byard tells more.
”The thing about volunteers is they come to work. If you don't give them jobs quickly, they become anxious. We were able to develop a registration system that was streamlined, that allowed the volunteers to move into the damaged neighborhoods with minimum delay. You have to have good people in place to handle the volunteers. That coordination is needed to make sure everyone is getting the assistance they need."

To assist residents, Byard spent long days on the east side of town listening and offering support when needed. In his interview with The Montgomery Advertiser though, he downplays his role.
"I, personally, did very little. Someone had to make the tough decisions. I listened to our department heads and made the calls I needed to make. I think the one thing we learned is that we have the right people in charge of our departments and some of the best employees in the world."

District 5 Councilman Mike Renegar had the bulk of seriously damaged areas in his district.
"I was amazed at how quickly the recovery effort began," he told The Montgomery Advertiser.
"That afternoon our employees were out there going to work. The residents needed to see that there was a plan in place to help them and that someone was in control.”

After the cyclone passed, Renegar went outside and was shocked by what he saw.

"People climbed out of homes that were destroyed, then went next door or across the street to check on neighbors. People left their damaged or destroyed homes to begin going door to door. That level of selflessness was inspiring. Once the shock had worn off, you could almost sense the determination building. I saw no one waiting for help to arrive. I saw no one display any self-pity. They rolled up their sleeves and went to work. It was that attitude that got us through."

According to Brock Long, director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, any errors in Prattville's response were minor. Long recalls that Prattville was lucky it was hit in daylight and not at night.

"Tornadoes striking at night are often more dangerous because people may not get that level of prior warning."

Long also praises The National Weather Service for up to date weather coverage and the people of Prattville for their excellent recovery efforts.

"I have nothing but praise for the city of Prattville and Autauga County for the way they handled things," he said. "They set up a unified command very quickly, that allowed them to make the best use of resources that came into the city from other communities and state agencies in the hours after the storm. The Prattville response had remarkable communications in place, which made everything go much better. If all they had as a negative was putting the command center in the wrong place, I'll take that any day during a disaster."

Miraculously, no lives were lost in last year's storm, although 50 people were treated for injuries.