Published September 29, 2020

Hurricane Sally

Written by Alison Foote

Locals will think differently about storm classifications after Hurricane Sally.  

The storm had been downgraded to a category 1 before she quickly began strengthening while slowly moving towards the coast.  Officially classified as a Category 2 the effects speak much differently.  

Many areas saw as much or more damage from Sally as they did Hurricane Ivan which made landfall exactly 16 years to the day before Sally.  Relentless rain from the slow moving storm dumped 3+ feet of water on our area.  The the ground was completely softened when the highest winds moved in after midnight - trees were primed for falling to the ground.

For three solid hours the eye wall sat over us pushing 125+ mph winds against doors and windows.  You could feel the pressure differences in your ears and stomach. In the pitch black all you could do was sit and wait.  I sat and waited with my cell phone in one hand and a flash light in the other.  Power had been out for 4-5 hours before the eye wall ever made landfall.

When day broke on Wednesday morning we were in the center of the storm.  It was eerily calm as we caught our first glimpse of what Sally had done.  One of the biggest differences between 2020 and 16 years ago when Ivan hit is... Facebook and improved cell service.  Friends and neighbors were quickly able to share their experiences during and after the storm.  The platform was able to bring people together and help get resources to the right places almost immediately.  

After seeing both Orange Beach and Gulf Shores post storm - it was interesting to note the differences in damage post Sally and post Ivan. Ivan wrecked our infrastructure.  Roads and bridges were out all over.  Where they weren't out... huge piles of sand blocked roads.  

Driving down the beach five days post Sally, the destruction definitely wasn't as evident driving down the beach as with Ivan.  Sally's destruction was found all over our bays and low lying areas.  The flooding and storm surge was brutal in Orange Beach and Perdido Key.  The winds in Gulf Shores, Foley, and rest of Baldwin County pushed over mature trees roots and all.  Power poles and power lines were a tangled mess.  Not the storm we were expecting.

Now, we are almost two weeks post storm and the efforts have been AMAZING.  Clean up was under way immediately as neighbors helped each other clean their yards and sort through flooded homes and debris.  Free meals, ice, water, and other necessities were being distributed to any one in need.  It will take time to completely return to normal but there's no other community I would rather be a part of.

Baldwin County is amazing.

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