Thursday, September 17th

Gulf Coast braces for 2nd round of flooding in Sally's wake

By JAY REEVES, ANGIE WANG and BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press

Trent Airhart wades through floodwaters, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in downtown Pensacola, Fla. Hurricane Sally made landfall Wednesday near Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 2 storm, pushing a surge of ocean water onto the coast and dumping torrential rain that forecasters said would cause dangerous flooding from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi and well inland in the days ahead.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - Rescuers along the Gulf Coast used high-water vehicles Thursday to reach people cut off by flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally, even as the region braced for a delayed, second round of floods in the coming days from 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 winds up to 105 mph (165 kph) and more than a foot of rain in many places before it began to break up.

Its remnants continued to push deep inland with heavy downpours, threatening flooding across the South all the way to Virginia.

In hard-hit Pensacola and surrounding Escambia County, where Sally's floodwaters had surged 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.

At least eight waterways in Alabama and the Panhandle were expected to hit major flood stage by Thursday. Forecasters warned that some could break records, submerge bridges and swamp homes.

"Please, please, we're not out of the woods even if we've got beautiful skies today," said Escambia County emergency manager Eric Gilmore.

Members of a citizen response team from Indiana assist in high water rescue of residents, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020 in Pensacola, Fla. Homeowners and businesses along the soggy Gulf Coast have begun cleaning up in the wake of Hurricane Sally, even as the region braces for a delayed, second round of flooding in the coming days from rivers and creeks swollen by the storm's heavy rains. (Tony Giberson/Pensacola News Journal via AP)

Crews carried out at least 400 rescues in the Escambia County by such means as high-water vehicles, boats and jet skis, authorities said.

Rescuers focused their efforts Thursday on Innerarity Point, a narrow strip of land close to Pensacola that is home to waterfront homes and businesses. Floodwaters covered the only road out, though authorities said no one was in immediate danger.

Richard Wittig and his family were among scores of people hemmed in by floodwaters on the island. Two generators were powering his house, fueled by 30 gallons of gasoline Wittig bought ahead of the storm.

"If I didn't have a working generator, we'd be dead. Nobody can get to us," said the 77-year-old Wittig, who said he and his son rely on oxygen machines to keep them alive.

The Florida National Guard said it had deployed about 500 soldiers and airmen to help local authorities evacuate 113 people, though it did not say when and where the rescues took place.

n Alabama, on both sides of Mobile Bay, National Guard soldiers from high-water evacuation teams used big trucks Thursday to rescue at least 35 people, authorities said.

About 35 miles (56 kilometers) inland, video posted online showed floodwaters surrounding buildings in Brewton, Alabama, home to about 5,000 people.

A barge runs aground along downtown Pensacola, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, as Hurricane Sally moves inland. Hurricane Sally lumbered ashore near the Florida-Alabama line Wednesday with 105 mph (165 kph) winds and rain measured in feet, swamping homes and trapping people in high water as it pushed inland for what could be a slow and disastrous drenching across the Deep South. (Tony Giberson//Pensacola News Journal via AP)

Waves batter the Pensacola Bay Bridge Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in Pensacola, Fla. A portion of the bridge collapsed after a barge came loose and slammed the bridge during Hurricane Sally. (Tony Giberson/Pensacola News Journal via AP)

At least one death, in Alabama, was blamed on the hurricane, and a half-million businesses were without electricity Thursday afternoon in Florida, Alabama and Georgia. A section of the main bridge between Pensacola and Pensacola Beach collapsed after it was hit by a barge that broke loose during the storm.

A few people cleaned up in Bristol Park, a creekside neighborhood where as much as 4 feet (1.2 meters) of water filled brick homes north of Pensacola.

Susan Cutts' parents fled rising water inside their home into the garage, where they desperately called for help on a dying cellphone until aid arrived.

"They were on top of their car when they got to them," Cutts said.

Storm damaged boats sit at the dock in a marina, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Pensacola, Fla. Rivers swollen by Hurricane Sally's rains threatened more misery for parts of the Florida Panhandle and south Alabama on Thursday, as the storm's remnants continued to dump heavy rains inland that spread the threat of flooding to Georgia and the Carolinas.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

At a downtown marina, at least 30 sailboats, fishing boats and other vessels were found clumped together in a mass of fiberglass hulls and broken docks. Some boats rested atop sunken ones.

The hurricane also drove two large ferry boats into a concrete seawall and left them grounded. The boats had been purchased with BP oil spill money.

"This is kind of the initial salvo," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said of the hurricane's onslaught, "but there is going to be more that you're going to have to contend with."

Meanwhile, Sally's rainy remnants caused flooding in Georgia, closing streets and highways, and threatened more of the same on Friday in North Carolina and Virginia. Forecasters said Georgia could get up to a foot (30 centimeters), and South Carolina 10 inches (25 centimeters).

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Calvan reported from Tallahassee, Florida, Wang from Mobile, Alabama. Associated Press reporters Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, and Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia, also contributed.

A tree limb juts through the ceiling of a home as the homeowner turns on a flashlight to begin cleaning up the damage left by Hurricane Sally on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Guyton, Ga. (WTOC-TV via AP)

Joe Mirable surveys the damage to his business after Hurricane Sally moved through the area, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in Perdido Key, Fla. Hurricane Sally made landfall Wednesday near Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 2 storm, pushing a surge of ocean water onto the coast and dumping torrential rain that forecasters said would cause dangerous flooding from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi and well inland in the days ahead. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Tropic Isles condominiums are seen after Hurricane Sally moved through the area, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in Orange Beach, Ala. Hurricane Sally made landfall Wednesday near Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 2 storm, pushing a surge of ocean water onto the coast and dumping torrential rain that forecasters said would cause dangerous flooding from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi and well inland in the days ahead.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Cars and a motorcycle are underwater as water floods a street, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in Pensacola, Fla. Hurricane Sally made landfall Wednesday near Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 2 storm, pushing a surge of ocean water onto the coast and dumping torrential rain that forecasters said would cause dangerous flooding from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi and well inland in the days ahead.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A boat is washed up near a road after Hurricane Sally moved through the area, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in Orange Beach, Ala. Hurricane Sally made landfall Wednesday near Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 2 storm, pushing a surge of ocean water onto the coast and dumping torrential rain that forecasters said would cause dangerous flooding from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi and well inland in the days ahead. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Waves crash over a seawall onto Florida State Highway 20 near Choctaw Beach, Fla., as gusty winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Sally continued to pound the Panhandle area Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. (Michael Snyder/Northwest Florida Daily News via AP)

Waves move near a damaged pier at Gulf State Park after Hurricane Sally moved through, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in Gulf Shores, Ala. The hurricane made landfall Wednesday near Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 2 storm, pushing a surge of ocean water onto the coast and dumping torrential rain that forecasters said would cause dangerous flooding from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi and well inland in the days ahead.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Vehicles maneuver on a flooded road near a boat washed up near the road after Hurricane Sally moved through the area, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in Orange Beach, Ala. Hurricane Sally made landfall Wednesday near Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 2 storm, pushing a surge of ocean water onto the coast and dumping torrential rain that forecasters said would cause dangerous flooding from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi and well inland in the days ahead. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Fire Department vehicles close the eastbound lane of Florida State Highway 20 in Choctaw Beach, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, after debris from a destroyed dock/boat slip was pushed onto the road. Strong winds and rough surf from Hurricane Sally continued to pound the Panhandle area Wednesday. (Michael Snyder/Northwest Florida Daily News via AP)

A man watches floodwaters, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in downtown Pensacola, Fla. Hurricane Sally made landfall Wednesday near Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 2 storm, pushing a surge of ocean water onto the coast and dumping torrential rain that forecasters said would cause dangerous flooding from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi and well inland in the days ahead. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Teresa and Joe Mirable survey damage to their business after Hurricane Sally moved through the area, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in Perdido Key, Fla. Hurricane Sally made landfall Wednesday near Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 2 storm, pushing a surge of ocean water onto the coast and dumping torrential rain that forecasters said would cause dangerous flooding from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi and well inland in the days ahead. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Fallen tree limbs lay on top of a home and above ground pool damaged by Hurricane Sally, which weakened to a tropical depression, on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Guyton, Ga. (WTOC-TV via AP)

Workers look over a damaged ferry, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Pensacola, Fla. Rivers swollen by Hurricane Sally's rains threatened more misery for parts of the Florida Panhandle and south Alabama on Thursday, as the storm's remnants continued to dump heavy rains inland that spread the threat of flooding to Georgia and the Carolinas.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Crews cut up a large downed tree limb, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Montgomery, Ala. Homeowners and businesses along the soggy Gulf Coast have begun cleaning up in the wake of Hurricane Sally, even as the region braces for a delayed, second round of flooding in the coming days from rivers and creeks swollen by the storm's heavy rains. (Mickey Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser via AP)

Storm aftermath is seen, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Orange Beach, Ala. Rivers swollen by Hurricane Sally's rains threatened more misery for parts of the Florida Panhandle and south Alabama on Thursday, as the storm's remnants continued to dump heavy rains inland that spread the threat of flooding to Georgia and the Carolinas. (AP Photo/Angie Wang)