Hurricane Nate runs through with minor damage, flooding

Businesses are reopening and Shrimp Fest preparations are as scheduled

Posted

Gulf Shores city officials completed damage assessments throughout the city early this morning and have found no major impacts from Hurricane Nate. Some minor flooding remains on roadways around Little Lagoon including:

Windmill Ridge Road

West 8th, 5th, 4th, 3rd Avenues

Laguna Key subdivision

All public beaches are now open with the exception of Gulf Place at the end of AL-59 which will remain closed to allow for crews to begin preparation and setup for the Annual National Shrimp Festival. Double red flags remain in place due to severe rip currents and surf conditions closing Gulf waters to all swimmers.

Local businesses are expected to resume normal operations today. All city facilities will resume normal business hours beginning Monday morning.

Mayor Craft and city leaders would like to extend a sincere appreciation to all residents, visitors and businesses who complied with the curfew Saturday night. This cooperation significantly aided public safety efforts, minimized traffic-related issues and, most importantly, kept our community out of harms way.

Hurricane Nate made landfall overnight near Biloxi, Mississippi, and the City of Orange Beach is open and clear.

All major roads are clear and open.

As of 7 a.m., there was still some flooding on roads around Boggy Point on Marina Road and Jubilee Point, but those waters are expected to recede later this morning.

There is minor damage such as trees down and piers impacted.

Beach erosion has occurred but Gulf waters stayed south of coastal construction lines and south of the dunes for the most part.

Seawall Park at Alabama Point fared very well with minimal erosion.

Baldwin EMC crews are working on limited power outages around the city this morning.

The city expects most businesses to be reopened and operating as normal by noon.

Tourists checking in should see minor impacts other than a slightly eroded beach.

Rough surf continues and waters remain closed to swimming at this time.

City offices and facilities will resume normal business hours Monday.

Mayor Tony Kennon and city leaders appreciate all who abided by the curfew Saturday night, which greatly aided in public safety and reducing traffic related issues due to inclement weather conditions. They appreciate the business community that followed guidance to close early, allowing employees to travel safely home before conditions deteriorated.

They also appreciate City of Orange Beach Employees who worked diligently this week in emergency management roles and duties to keep our city protected and the public safe.

As Hurricane Nate impacted the northern Gulf Coast Oct. 7-8, Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism (GSOBT) has the following area update for guests visiting in the coming days or months.

“We have been in constant communication with both local cities and the county emergency management agency, and we are thankful to be able to relay to our guests that our beach communities only received minimal impact from Hurricane Nate, and we stand ready to welcome guests to our 32 miles of white-sand beaches,” said Joanie Flynn, vice president of marketing for GSOBT. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those neighbors in other Gulf-front states who were impacted by the tropical system.”

City of Gulf Shores officials announced that all evacuation orders have been lifted, but citizens should be vigilant of localized flooding. Likewise in the neighboring coastal city of Orange Beach, officials have given the “all clear” with minor flooding and beach erosion. Waters remain closed to swimming due to rough surf and the potential for rip currents. Keep track of updated beach conditions in Gulf Shores by calling 251-968-8433 and Orange Beach by calling 251-981-7873.

According to the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber, the 46th Annual National Shrimp Festival will go on as planned at the Gulf Shores Public Beach from Oct. 12-15.

“We will be open for business for the National Shrimp Festival and look forward to welcoming locals and guests for this 4-day event, featuring live entertainment, more than 200 vendors, children’s activities and, of course, seafood,” said Ed Rodriguez, president and CEO of the chamber.

For more information on this family beach destination, visit GulfShores.com or OrangeBeach.com.