Marianna, Prathers home in Marianna.
Photo submitted by Samuel Barnes
MARIANNA – A Marianna man and his mother are still without electricity after Hurricane Michael damaged their home on Oct. 10.
The day before the storm hit, Nicholas Prather went to Dothan, Alabama to gather the remaining supplies he and his mother, Emma Prather, needed.
When the hurricane hit Jackson County, it was a Category 3 storm and was producing winds of 130 mph.
“This storm was the fastest developed storm I have ever seen. I really wanted to make sure my mom and I had everything we needed for the storm. Marianna has never faced a storm like this before, and I pray it never does again,” said Prather.
His neighborhood was not under a mandatory evacuation, so Prather decided to stay home. After power went out at his house, Prather listened to a battery-powered weather radio for updates concerning the storm.
After the storm was over, Prather went outside the next day and saw the house sustained damage to its gutter and a tree had fallen in the yard. He wasted little time cleaning up the damage caused by the storm, and he had a friend with a chainsaw help him remove the tree from the yard.
“My buddy was in need, and true friends respond when disasters like this occur. When the storm was over, I went around Marianna to check on all my friends to see how they were after the storm. I thank God everyone is ok.,” said Chris Washington, a friend of Prather’s.
To make things even more challenging, the doctor’s offices in Marianna are still without power, and they are not expected to reopen until mid-November. With the doctor’s offices closed, Prather’s disabled mother is not able to attend her monthly checkups.
“I can still get my medicine from the pharmacy, but I have no doctor to see as it concerns my checkups, and when this prescription on my medicine runs out, I will have to figure out some way to get it filled again. I pray it does not take them long to restore the power,” said Emma Prather.
While his neighborhood remains without power, and many stores in Marianna remain closed due to repairs. Prather continues to commute back and forth from neighboring states to gather the supplies needed for him and his mother.