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Hurricane Sally has brought strong winds and devastating flooding to the US Gulf Coast, and the slow-moving storm destroyed a section of a new bridge in Florida.
Authorities have confirmed that part of the Three Mile Bridge in Pensacola is missing, which was being rebuilt after being damaged by previous hurricanes.
The storm brought “life-threatening” 105 mph winds and rain across the southern United States when it made landfall as a category two storm at 4.45 am local time Wednesday.
A driver navigates a flooded highway when Hurricane Sally made landfall
Parts of Pensacola have been inundated by floods of up to 1.5 m (5 ft).
Sally is moving at speeds of just 3 mph, almost as fast as a person can walk, and officials have warned that thousands of people will have to flee the rising waters in the coming days.
David Morgan, the Sheriff for Escambia County in Florida, said: “There are entire communities that we are going to have to evacuate. It is going to be a tremendous operation for the next few days.”
Although the storm is expected to weaken as it moves inland, heavy rains are expected to continue through Thursday.
A forecaster from the city of Mobile in Alabama, David Eversole, said: “It’s not common for you to start measuring rain in feet. Sally moves so slowly so she keeps hitting and hitting and hitting the area with tropical rain and winds. powerful. It’s just a nightmare. “
A man walks through a flooded parking lot
Sally is the second hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast in less than three weeks, in what has been one of the busiest hurricane seasons ever recorded.
Forecasters have almost run through the alphabet of storm names, with two and a half months left in the season.
Storm Teddy, currently in the Atlantic, is expected to turn into a hurricane in the next few days.
“We only have one name left,” said Jim Foerster, chief meteorologist. “That’s going to happen here soon Wilfred, and then we’ll be in the Greek alphabet.”
Hurricane Sally makes landfall in Mobile, Alabama
Like the wildfires raging on the West Coast, the onslaught of hurricanes has focused attention on climate change, which scientists say is causing slower, rainier, more powerful and more destructive storms.
Hundreds of people have had to be rescued from their homes, but in some areas, like Orange Beach in Alabama, these operations have been hampered by treacherous conditions.
City Mayor Tony Kennon said: “We have some people that we have not been able to reach because the water is too high. But they are safe at home, as soon as the water recedes, rescue them.”
Floods due to Hurricane Sally seen in Pensacola
The National Hurricane Center has compared Sally’s slow pace to that of Hurricane Harvey, which flooded the city of Houston in Texas in 2017.
President Donald Trump issued emergency declarations for parts of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Fox News that Trump was in contact with state governors and was willing to help “in every way possible.”
Morgan Griffin cleans the broken window at the store where he works as Hurricane Sally passes through the area in Alabama
Authorities have urged people in affected areas to use texting to communicate with family and friends to keep cell phone service open for 911 calls.
Almost 500,000 homes and businesses have lost electricity.
