Officials warn of ‘catastrophic’ flooding as Hurricane Sally makes landfall in Alabama

Hurricane Sally made landfall as a Category 2 storm in Alabama early Wednesday morning, bringing with it heavy rain, winds and flooding.

Hundreds of thousands are reportedly without power as the slow-moving storm passes over the area. Alabama’s governor, Kay Ivey (R), has warned that evacuations may be necessary.

“My fellow Alabamians, #HurricaneSally is nothing to take for granted. We’re looking at record flooding, perhaps breaking historic levels, & with rising water comes a greater risk for loss of life and loss of property,” Ivey wrote on Twitter.

“#HurricaneSally has the potential to inflict major damage along our Gulf Coast & even further inland. I urge you in the strongest way possible to evacuate if conditions permit & seek shelter elsewhere as quickly as possible TODAY as this storm makes landfall sometime tonight,” she continued.

#HurricaneSally has the potential to inflict major damage along our Gulf Coast & even further inland. I urge you in the strongest way possible to evacuate if conditions permit & seek shelter elsewhere as quickly as possible TODAY as this storm makes landfall sometime tonight.

— Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) September 15, 2020

Officials at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned of “a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, during the next 12 hours” in a region stretching from Fort Morgan, Ala., to the Bay County/Walton County line near Panama City, Fla.

Other NHC officials told The Associated Press that rainfall in some conditions would be “catastrophic and life threatening” due to the low speed at which Sally was traveling.

“Sally has a characteristic that isn’t often seen and that’s a slow forward speed and that’s going to exacerbate the flooding,” Deputy Director Ed Rappaport told the AP in a statement.

Escambia County’s sheriff said in a statement obtained by the AP that deputies would be out assisting residents until they could not physically do so.

“The sheriff’s office will be there until we can no longer safely be out there, and then and only then will we pull our deputies in,” the sheriff said.