Tropical Storm Ida Threatens Gulf Coast

Yesterday, heavy rain in Ida's wrath caused flooding and landslides in El Salvador that killed 124 people. One mudslide covered the town of Verapaz, about 30 miles outside the capital, San Salvador, before dawn Sunday and the storm also destroyed over 500 homes in Nicaragua. Luckily for us, Ida was not expected to strengthen before hitting landfall once again by Tuesday and has officially been downgraded to a Tropical Storm from a Category 2 Hurricane. When Ida moved into the northern waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the cooler waters basically destroyed any major threats of this system becoming larger.

By 10:00 am this morning Category 1 Hurricane Ida was downgraded from a hurricane to a Tropical Storm. Wind will no longer be a major threat with this storm as it moves inland but flooding will definitely be an issue, especially for those of us living in low-lying areas. Although Ida is no longer a hurricane it does not mean conditions will not be dangerous. Forecasters are saying residents in the warning areas could get 3-6 inches of rain with as much as 8 possible in some spots. Do not ignore warnings!

The governors of Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi have declared states of emergency, but mandatory evacuation orders were canceled. At 12:45 pm the national weather service issued a voluntary evacuation for ANYONE living in a low-lying, flood prone areas and those living in mobile/manufactured homes. They also gave a list of local shelters and school closings. Most schools in upper/lower Baldwin County and upper/lower Mobile county have been canceled for Tuesday and Wednesday. Several shelters have been opened including Satsuma High School for residents living in Saraland which in recent years has had major flooding issues.

It has started to rain here in Mobile, AL and the wind is a bit more than normal. I visited the Mobile, AL Bay this morning only to find that the waters and wind had not picked up quite yet but the fishing had. Tons of fishermen lined up along the bay-way/causeway. The choppy waters should make for a few good fish and maybe some crabs. By this evening and into the night the water will be much too dangerous for any fishing and now would definitely not be a good time to go swimming!

Please refer to The National Hurricane Center's Supply Kit website and make sure your family has what they need during this storm. If nothing at all make sure you have gallon jugs of water, flashlights and of course, food.