Still Recovering from Laura, Sally to Hit Gulf as Category 1 Hurricane

As the South is still recovering weeks after Hurricane Laura, Tropical Storm Sally will impact the Gulf today with heavy rainfall, storm surges, and potential flooding, making landfall on Tuesday as a Category 1 Hurricane.

Dangerous flooding threat in South on Monday

Tropical Storm Sally will begin having an impact on the Gulf Coast today with life-threatening storm surges, heavy rainfall, and potential flooding.

The National Weather Service (NWS) as issued the following alerts for the Gulf on Monday:

Tropical Storm Warning: Coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle

Flood Watch: southeastern Louisiana; southern and central Mississippi; southern and central Alabama; southwestern Georgia; Florida Panhandle.

Sally to make landfall in Louisiana as Category 1 hurricane

According to predictions by the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Tropical Storm Sally is expected to become a Category 1 Hurricane sometime on Monday before making landfall on the southeast coast of Louisiana at roughly 11 AM ET on Tuesday, CNN reported.

The governor of Louisiana, John Bell Edwards, declared a state of emergency and officials in New Orleans ordered residents of the city to evacuate.

Projected track of Sally

The current storm forecast track has Sally making landfall just east of New Orleans at roughly 11 AM ET on Tuesday, CNN reported. The storm will then move in a circular direction to the east, where it will be centered on the Mississippi/Alabama border around midnight on Tuesday.

From there, the eye of the storm will be south of Montgomery, Alabama by 11 PM on Wednesday, and southwest of Atlanta, by 11 PM on Thursday. Along the way, the outer bands of the storm will extend into Mississippi, Tennessee, and the Carolinas.

If you live in the South – Start getting prepared now

If you live in the South, Southeast, or any area that can be affected by hurricanes, you should start getting prepared now by having an emergency plan and preparing the supplies you need.

Here are the top 3 things you need to be prepared with.

1. An emergency weather radio. The first thing you need to do is to make sure you have an emergency weather radio that runs on batteries and/or a hand crank and/or solar so that it will work regardless of power outages. It’s easy to find one with all three power options. Weather radios connect directly to the National Weather Service/NOAA to keep you informed.
2. Develop a family emergency plan. Start with planning and preparing your evacuation and communications strategy. Make sure that every member of your family has a cellphone so that you can stay in contact should you get separated. Have a plan so that everyone knows in advance where the closest safe location and/or shelter is located (and a plan for getting there) should you have to evacuate.
3. Prepare an emergency supply kit. Make sure that you have and maintain an emergency kit that contains at least a 3 day supply of food and water for you, your family, and pets, as well as medications and first-aid supplies. Make sure your kit has a flashlight (separate from your cell phone, to save its battery) and backup battery chargers for your cell phone and more. Try to keep your cell phone fully charged at all times.

Finally, don’t wait until the last minute to prepare a kit. Make it a weekly routine check and update your supply kit, rotating fresh food and water.

The best source of information with everything you need to know about getting prepared for a hurricane can be found at the National Hurricane Center preparedness page.