At 5:45 a.m. ET, Hurricane Sally, with winds of 105 mph and classified as category two, crossed over land near the Alabama-Florida state line. The tropical storm Sally has now winds of 60 mph at 4 p.m. CT. Sally swept through Gulf Shore, Alabama, on Wednesday morning.
A U.S. flag flies from a boat damaged by Hurricane Sally in Pensacola, Florida, U.S., September 16, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman
READ: Hurricane Sally: Upgraded to Category 2, Storm Surge, Winds, Flood Expected
Hurricane Sally inches slowly
Water rescue from flooding neighborhood, no electricity in at least 500,000 homes in Florida and Alabama, felled trees, and massive flooding has so far been reported as the hurricane inched off at a slow pace.
National Hurricane Center described Sally's landfall as "Historic and catastrophic flooding, including widespread moderate to major river flooding, is unfolding."
Meanwhile, rescuers evacuated 377 people in Escambia County, Florida, from flooded neighborhoods as thousands more are expected to be evacuated soon, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan earlier warned.
In Gulf Shores, Alabama, resident Doris Stiers told CNN that there are lots of destruction, roofs were gone, and they had no power or internet service.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the storm is slowly inching at seven mph, causing devastating floods in Alabama and Florida. Twenty four (24) inches of rain were already reported in some areas, and weather experts predict that it could go to 35 inches by the end of the storm.
The center of the storm may move to Georgia and South Carolina on Thursday, as Sally is expected to inch its way to move towards northeastward through Alabama.
A man sits on a downed tree after Hurricane Sally made landfall, on Dauphin Island, Alabama, U.S., September 16, 2020. REUTERS/Kathleen Flynn
Damages of Hurricane Sally
Santa Rosa County Emergency Management posted on its Twitter that a portion of the Three Mile Bridge collapsed. Brad Baker, the Santa Rosa County's public safety director, said that a barge had slammed a portion of the structure, thus causing the damage.
Photo from the Three Mile Bridge showing the missing section. pic.twitter.com/Ym3VRBhml5 — Santa Rosa County Emergency Management (@SRC_EM) September 16, 2020
Authorities warn those using the bridge that it may take a while for the bridge to be used again. Meanwhile, Baker said they are doing everything to catch the barge before it poses damage to other structures.
In Pensacola, Florida, streets turned into rivers. The National Weather Service said that eight rivers in southwest Alabama and the western area of Florida Panhandle are expected to flood heavily.
In Alabama and Florida alone, more than 500,000 homes are experiencing power interruptions due to the impacts of Sally, the utility tracker PowerOutage.us reported.
Flashflood emergency in coastal Alabama, Florida Panhandle, Gulf Shores, and Pensacola
A flash flood emergency was declared by the weather services in most affected areas of Sally. It warns residents floods and storm surges are a "severe threat to human life."
Sixteen years ago, Category 3 Hurricane Ivan also struck the same areas where Hurricane Sally have been.
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