The hurricane that, at press time hadn’t even dropped any rain on Covington County, had officials worried for a while.

Mayor Earl Johnson, who eight years lost a run-off by 20 votes in a Tuesday election before Hurricane Ivan hit on Wednesday night, said he wasn’t sure how the storm would affect the election. Early projections had Isaac pointed straight toward Andalusia, and there was even talk about postponing the election, as many coastal downs in Mobile and Baldwin counties eventually did.

“ I’ve been in a knot for a week,” Johnson said. “I’ve been watching the Weather Channel and a computer model I have access to from the University of South Alabama. For almost a solid week, it looked like it would come through the middle of Andalusia. It could have been a tragedy,” Johnson said “Some people would not have been able to get out in the weather. The conditions were a blessing.”

His challenger, Blaine Wilson, said he felt like the tropical storm mindset might have affected some voters.

But Hazel Griffin, who won reelection in District 3, said Tuesday’s sunny weather was an answered prayer.

“It’s just what I prayed for,” she said.