Hurricane Sally up-to-date coverage, damage reports, closures
It was a rough night and Hurricane Sally made her presence known as the storm made landfall near Gulf Shores, Ala. at around 4:45 a.m. CDT Wednesday. The Category 2 storm caused widespread damages, storm surge and has left many without power. We hope you're staying safe from wherever you're reading this, and we hope these updates help.
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Here's the latest as the storm continues to move across southeastern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
Big-picture updates
What happened overnight: Hurricane Sally’s eye made landfall early Wednesday morning near Gulf Shores, Ala., as a Category 2 hurricane. According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. The latest National Hurricane Center advisory has downgraded Sally to a tropical storm.
Latest forecast: Sally will produce additional rainfall totals of 8 to 12 inches with higher amounts possible along the central Gulf Coast from west of Tallahassee, Florida, to Mobile Bay, Alabama, the National Weather Service said. The storm is projected to move across southeastern Alabama on Wednesday night, dumping "life threatening" rainfall over parts of the Gulf Coast, Florida Panhandle and southeastern Alabama.
Location: 30 miles north-northeast of Pensacola, Florida
Movement: North-northeast at 5 mph
Maximum sustained winds: 70 mph
Where is Sally headed next?: Want to see the latest on the storm's projected path? Follow along using this live tracker.
Road closures: As the storm made landfall much of Pensacola was already under water, leading to road and bridges closures.
How to Help: The Florida Panhandle so far has recorded 30 inches of rainfall and thousands could be without power for days. This isn’t a definitive list of ways to help victims so you can also contact local agencies, organizations or authorities.
In Florida
Live updates: Follow along for up-to-date coverage on what's happening throughout Pensacola. Here are some highlights.
In Escambia County: County Sheriff David Morgan said there are unconfirmed reports that a section of Three Mile Bridge is missing.
In downtown Pensacola: Floodwaters turning streets into white-capped rivers and downed trees bookending Palafox Street.
In the city of Gulf Breeze: A water main break somewhere within city limits, "immediate need" for citizens to conserve drinking water.
In Santa Rosa County: Emergency vehicles are only responding to high water calls, due to the high wind and the excessive rain.
Power outages: More than 200,000 homes and businesses are without power. See the map of reported outages here.
Relief efforts underway: Three FEMA Urban Search and Rescue teams, in addition to the Escambia County Fire Rescue, National Guard and the Sheriff's Office are actively working on water rescues and life-saving measures.
In Alabama
Initial look at conditions: Here's what it looks like along the Alabama coastline Wednesday morning.
Power outages: More than 270,000 are without power. See the map of reported outages here.
Flood warnings and watches: The Tallapoosa River at the Tallapoosa Water plant affecting Montgomery and Elmore counties was at 8.5 feet, Wednesday morning. Flood stage is 25 feet. The river is expected to rise above flood stage Thursday morning and crest Friday morning.
The storm’s impact: Grant Brown, the city’s public information officer said, officials think a mandatory evacuation order in low-lying areas might have been needed.“It was horrible,” “I don't ever want to go through it again. It was dark, noisy, and the windows were shaking.
That's all of our updates for now. We'll check back in with you tomorrow.
Be safe, everyone.
— Cheryl S. Grant, Editor, Audience Development
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