ROBERTSDALE – Baldwin County went under a mandatory evacuation for tourists and other non-residents Wednesday as Hurricane Delta approached the northern Gulf Coast.
Jenni Guerry, deputy director of the Baldwin County Emergency Management Agency, said Gov. Kay Ivey issued the order on Tuesday. The order will help residents prepare for potential impacts from Delta.
“The proclamation from the governor to go ahead and issue a mandatory evacuation for those individuals will just help the local residents here make the necessary steps for preparedness for their homes and their properties so we want to make sure that we’re keeping everyone as safe as possible given the vulnerable circumstance with the damage that has been incurred from the previous hurricane,” Guerry said.
She said Baldwin is still recovering from Hurricane Sally, which made landfall in Gulf Shores on Sept. 16. Debris can clog ditches causing flooding if Delta brings heavy rains.
“We do have a massive amount of debris and we do know that when you place that debris right by the roadside in the right of way for pickup that it may now cause drainage problems. If we have more rainfall and that debris is blocking our ditches and our culverts that you could potentially see flooding in areas where you do not normally see flooding.
Guerry said trucks have been working seven days a week since Sally hit to remove debris.
“We do know that we have, with the county alone, in the unincorporated areas, there’s 135 trucks that are running to pick up this debris and they are removing this debris as quickly as possible and yesterday’s totals were around 365,000 yards of debris that they have removed to this point,” she said.
Guerry said Baldwin County offers residents several options to keep up with threats from storms or other emergencies.
The county has a dedicated page on the website www.baldwincountyal.gov that provides information on Hurricane Sally recovery as well as some instruction on preparing for future storms. The county also has a mass notification system as alertbaldwin.com. Residents can adapt how they want to be notified for particular emergencies.
“So it’s an incredible notification system that is available for free for all residents within Baldwin County and it’s an impressive communication tool to make sure that individuals are receiving those emergency notifications where they can take actions and help protect themselves and their families,” Guerry said.
