Hurricane Sally hit the Gulf Shores as a Category 2 storm with winds hitting 105 mph. The Alabama coast is receiving large downpours of rain and storm surges are covering the beaches.
The National Hurricane Center said this will result in dangerous, possibly historic flooding from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi as well as inland on the coast within the upcoming days.
Sally’s northern eyewall raked the Gulf Coast for hours before its center made landfall, with overwhelming wind and rain affecting areas from Pensacola Beach, Florida to Dauphin Island, Alabama.
More than 80,000 homes and businesses have lost electricity within the Gulf Coast due to the aftermath.
However, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson is remaining optimistic during these times. In a press conference earlier today, he said it could have been a lot worse.
“Yes we do have damages, yes we do have some homes that have been destroyed, but all in all the outcome is much better than it would have been had [the storm] gone ashore on the Alabama-Mississippi line,” he said.
To ensure the safety of the citizens of Mobile, Stimpson also took time to announce a city-wide curfew from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the next couple of days until further notice.
“Because of the damage that we’ve sustained and because of the power outages that will go on for the next couple of days, we are just now announcing that there will be a curfew in the city of Mobile. The curfew will be from dusk until dawn,” he said.
Mobile County EMA Deputy Director Mike Evans also warned residents during the conference to not venture outside, whether on private or public property.
“‘Why is it important to stay home?’ Because we need our crew to get the roads clean, we need the power and all those services to get back up and we also need those roads clear so our first responders can get to the people who need help. So if you’re pretty good shape, please stay there and take care of yourself and your family,” Evans said.
The storm severely damaged the Gulf State Park Pier in Gulf Shores. The Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources tells AL.com the pier project was insured, but did not yet have an estimate on how much repairs would cost.