Tropical Depression Ida is on its way across northwest Alabama on a path toward Virginia and Maryland. Weather forecasters say the big concern today is the possibility of pop-up tornadoes and the threat of flooding. Water levels along the Gulf coast could continue rising until the end of the week. Joe Maniscalco is a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Mobile. He says cars on a flooded roadway could be swept away if the water is flowing with a strong current…
“It’s very, very important that if you see a water covered roadway, anywhere that you turn around,” Maniscalco contends. “Otherwise you would potentially lose control of the vehicle, and get in a bad situation.”
Maniscalco says the threat from flooding isn’t limited to people driving in cars. Flooded roads can also pose a danger to pedestrians who are strolling on roads covered in water following a major storm like Ida.
“If you’re walking, and you get any kind of flow, or you’re just walking through flooded areas…some of this water is moving. And it has enough of a current it could take you off your feet.”
Mobile and Baldwin Counties spent the weekend under a Tropical Storm warning as Ida approached. Governor Kay Ivey put twenty seven Alabama counties under an emergency declaration. These communities ranged from the Gulf coast to as far north as Tuscaloosa.
