STORM SCARS
Hurricane Sally's aftermath threatened more misery for parts of the Florida Panhandle and south Alabama
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Rescuers on the Gulf Coast used high-water vehicles Thursday to reach people cut off by floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally, even as flooding remained a problem along rivers and creeks swollen by the storm's heavy rains.
Across southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, homeowners and businesses began cleaning up, and officials inspected bridges and highways for safety, a day after Sally rolled through with 105 mph (165 kph) winds, a surge of seawater and 1 to 2 1/2 feet (0.3 to 0.8 meters) of rain in many places before it began to break up.
Sally's remnants were over South Carolina on Thursday afternoon and were expected to move into the Atlantic within 24 hours. A rainmaker to the
end, what was left of the storm was forecast to dump as much as 8 inches (20 centimeters) in isolated areas in the Carolinas and southern Virginia, prompting warnings of widespread flash flooding and “moderate” river flooding. As much as 8 inches of rain had fallen in central Georgia by midday.
In hard-hit Pensacola and surrounding Escambia County, where Sally's floodwaters had coursed through downtown streets and lapped at car door
handles on Wednesday before receding, authorities went door-to-door to check on residents and warn them they were not out of danger.
“Please, please, we're not out of the woods even if we've got beautiful skies today,” said Escambia County emergency manager Eric Gilmore.
Laura Coale, communications director for Escambia County, Florida, said rescue crews were taking a secondary pass through flooded areas Thursday afternoon to see if anyone who declined to leave earlier would like to evacuate. Officials' biggest concern was keeping people off the roads so power trucks can work and people can clean debris safely.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged Panhandle residents not to let their guard down even though the hurricane had passed. “You're going to see the rivers continue to rise,” DeSantis said after an aerial tour of the Panhandle.
Most rivers fed by the storm were cresting in Alabama and the Panhandle on Thursday, although the Shoal, in Florida was still rising, expected to crest by late Thursday or Friday, said Steve Miller of the National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama. Near Crestview, Florida, portions of Interstate 10 and U.S. Highway 90 — the two main roadways running east to west through the Panhandle — were closed.