Hurricane Sally’s winds are battering Pensacola, Florida, and its slow pace means the rains will bring “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding.”
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PENSACOLA, Fla. – Part of bridge collapsed in Pensacola as 30 inches of rain and storm surge turned streets into white-capped rivers Wednesday morning after Hurricane Sally lurched ashore the Gulf Coast.
Sally’s strong winds battered Florida and Alabama as the center moved near the states’ border as of mid-morning. In Pensacola, Florida, a section of the Pensacola Bay Bridge collapsed, and downtown was largely underwater.
Flooding as the slow storm dumped intense rains has proven to be Sally’s most serious danger: “Historic and catastrophic flooding, including widespread moderate to major river flooding, is unfolding,” forecasters say.
Photos and video from coastal areas showed trees downed, debris and boats thrown about and streets flooded. Around 9 a.m. local time, a water level station in Pensacola reported inundation around 5.5 feet above sea level, the National Hurricane Center said.
Flash flooding emergencies were in effect and rescue efforts underway for parts of southeastern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle as the storm could dump up to 35 inches of rain in isolated pockets.
Florida disaster relief: How to help Hurricane Sally victims
Sally made landfall at 4:45 a.m. with winds of 105 mph near Gulf Shores, Alabama. The storm’s center, picking up in speed at 5 mph as it moves north-northeast, will head across southeastern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through early Thursday, and will weaken to a tropical depression by Thursday morning.
Some other major developments:
- Sally is forecast to head inland Wednesday night across southeastern Alabama before reaching Georgia on Thursday and the Carolinas on Friday.
- Around 10 to 20 inches of rain could be dumped on parts of Alabama and Florida, with isolated pockets getting up to 35 inches.
- Sally is the eighth named storm to make landfall in the continental U.S. this year — the most through Sept. 16 in recorded history.
- Around 500,000 homes and businesses are without power, according to the utility tracker poweroutage.us.
Here’s a look at the latest news with Hurricane Sally:
Part of Pensacola bridge collapsed
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan confirmed a section of Three Mile Bridge is missing, the largest reported damage to date from Hurricane Sally. Santa Rosa County Emergency Management tweeted a photo showing the missing section of bridge.
Images indicate a crane fell on the bridge and knocked away a section of the road way. The brand new Three Mile Bridge, or Pensacola Bay Bridge, connects the city to Gulf Breeze.
The Florida Department of Transportation said it has been unable to assess any possible damage to the bridge due to ongoing high winds.
On Tuesday, a construction barge broke loose, struck the fishing pier and lodged itself under the Three Mile Bridge, forcing the closure of the bridge.
– Annie Blanks, Pensacola News Journal | 10:23 a.m. CT
Downtown Pensacola largely underwater
Much of downtown Pensacola was underwater Wednesday morning, with floodwaters turning streets into white-capped rivers and downed trees bookending Palafox Street. Downtown was mostly empty, save for police officers and a few brave onlookers.
Nick Zangari, owner of New York Nick’s Badlands bar, was sitting in the doorway of his dark, empty bar on Palafox looking out into the street. Zangari has been at the bar since Monday, saying he wanted to keep an eye on his building. But he didn’t expect things to get as bad as they did overnight Tuesday.
A few blocks down, on Jefferson Street, floodwaters were submerging cars around the Holiday Inn Express and Pensacola Little Theatre. The floodwaters looked more like the Gulf of Mexico as winds tossed the water around.
People could be seen standing on the porch of the hotel, trapped and looking out over the water that used to be a parking lot.
– Annie Blanks, Pensacola News Journal | 10:15 a.m. CT
Cajun Navy gives first look at damage to Alabama’s Orange Beach
The United Cajun Navy has boots on the ground in Orange Beach and is surveying the damage so far from the Category 2 storm.
The nonprofit organization, dedicated to providing relief efforts and equipping rescue teams to areas affected by natural disasters, posted a video on Facebook that shows storm surge and heavy flooding on streets as well as an overturned boat on the side of the road next to a refrigerator.
– Daniella Medina, Montgomery Advertiser | 9 a.m. CT
Alabama: Rescues underway, heavy damage to homes, businesses
“There’s two flash flood emergencies currently in affect for coastal Baldwin over to Fort Walton Beach,” he said.
Eversole said he’s gotten reports of damage to several condos in the Gulf Shores area, as well as damage to the Surf Shop and Pink Pony Pub. Debris in Orange Beach sloshed against some condos as a boat floated its way between some of the buildings.
“We know people are being rescued and we know there is severe property damage,” he said.
– Kirsten Fiscus, Montgomery Advertiser | 8:10 a.m. CT
Hurricane Sally has eerie similarities to Ivan – 16 years later
Sally’s path and landfall is eerily similar to Hurricane Ivan’s, which made landfall on the same day – Sept. 16 – in 2004, 16 years ago, in nearly the exact same place that Sally is projected to land. Ivan was a stronger Category 3 storm and devastated the area.
– Annie Blanks, Pensacola News Journal | 8 a.m. CT
Flora-Bama beach bar survives Hurricane Sally
Not even wet and windy Hurricane Sally was able to blow away the Flora-Bama. The “most famous beach bar in the country” is still standing, according to a photo and caption the United Cajun Navy posted Wednesday morning at 5:23 a.m. CT. The volunteer rescue group is currently hosting relief efforts in Escambia County.
The photo shows no visible damage to its roof or its walls, but shows rising water surrounding the landmark bar on the border of Alabama and Florida.
– Daniella Medina, Pensacola News Journal | 8 a.m. CT
Rescue workers called upon amid flooding in Okaloosa County, Fla.
“We are receiving reports of flooded roadways and homes and are actively engaged in water rescues and evacuations,” Okaloosa Public Safety Director Patrick Maddox said in a 4 a.m. update to county officials.
County spokesman Christopher Saul said 543 people in the south end of Okaloosa County were “in need of evacuation” as of about 5:30 a.m. Rescue workers had succeeded in helping 79 people evacuate from the Baker area, he said.
– Tom McLaughlin, Northwest Florida Daily News | 7:30 a.m. CT
Hurricane Sally dumps 30 inches of rain on Pensacola
The National Weather Service in Mobile reported a trained spotter estimated 30 inches of rain in Northwest Pensacola. NAS Pensacola recorded 24.8 inches of rain and wind gusts up to 92 miles per hour.
Earlier Wednesday, the Weather Service issued a “rare” flash flood emergency warning.
“It’s when we have a flash flood that is posing a significant risk to lives and property,” said Dave Eversole, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama. “That means there’s people out there literally pulling people out of homes and rescuing people out of cars. It’s right along with a tornado emergency, it’s one of our two most serious warnings.”
Interstate 10, eastbound and westbound, at the Escambia Bay Bridge is also closed due to high sustained winds.
– Annie Blanks, Pensacola News Journal | 7:30 a.m. CT
Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore in Pensacola
He tweeted video of powerful winds tearing through the city Wednesday morning and shots from the Weather Channel showed him being battered by the heavy rain.
– Annie Blanks, Pensacola News Journal | 6:30 a.m. CT
Sally is 8th named storm to make landfall this year
Sally is the eighth named storm to make landfall in the continental U.S. this year — the most through Sept. 16 in recorded history, surpassing the seven storms of 1916, according to Phil Klotzbach, a research scientist and meteorologist at Colorado State University.
The record for most continental U.S. landfalls in a single Atlantic season is nine, also set in 1916. The center of Sally’s eye made landfall around 4:45 a.m. local time near near Gulf Shores, Alabama.
– John Bacon, USA TODAY | 4:45 a.m. CT
Tracking Sally: Here’s the latest on hurricane’s path
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration just released its 2018 hurricane forecasts. Here’s what you need to know.
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