After spending the last week in Tuscaloosa, Dallas County emergency Management Agency director Rhonda Abbot said the situation in north Alabama after the late April tornadoes has been an eye-opener.

Almost immediately following the storms Abbott headed to Tuscaloosa while Dallas County equipment and first responders were sent to Marshall County. Most of the county’s resources have returned, Abbott said, but are still ready if needed.

“We still have equipment spread across the state and I think all of our personnel are back in Dallas County,” she said. “The police and sheriff’s department is still on stand-by in case their services are still needed.”

Though Dallas County did not sustain serious damage from the storms, Abbott said county workers have been on the run.

“It’s been really busy,” she said. “Even though we were not affected it has been really busy.”

The one thing that stood out most for Abbott during her time in Tuscaloosa was the high level of teamwork and planning that came after the storm.

“That experience to me was very eye-opening,” she said. “Teamwork has got to happen for any kind of disaster of that magnitude or even just a simple tornado. Everybody has to be on the same page.”

Since returning, Abbott said she and first responders in Dallas County have met to discuss their plans should a disaster strike Dallas County.

“We’ve all brought things home from that,” she said. “We will never be prepared, nobody can be prepared for what happened. But we are going to take these lessons and be as ready as possible.”