What to Know About Hurricane Sally
When summer starts, so does hurricane season. Hurricane season is the time of year that tropical storms and hurricanes frequently make landfall. Not every hurricane reaches land, but they always bring strong winds and trouble wherever they go. One hurricane that reached land already this year was Hurricane Sally, which quickly became a powerful storm affecting the states of Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama.
On September 12th, governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, declared a State of Emergency before Sally made landfall. Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi also declared states of emergency after the hurricane showed signs of becoming a category 2 storm. Two days later, Sally proved meteorologists right when she hit the shores of Louisiana. The potential danger posed by the category 2 storm in coastal areas of Louisiana forced residents to evacuate their homes. According to CNN, Hurricane Sally dumped roughly 11 feet of rain on multiple southern states before reaching Louisiana. Evacuations were also issued in Alabama and Mississippi. Hurricane Sally delivered its share of damage to the four states currently detailing with the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hundreds of thousands of power outages were reported and raging floods covered roadways. According to CNN, “We had 30 inches of rain in Pensacola -- 30-plus inches of rain -- which is four months of rain in four hours". Curfews were issued in affected areas, as many cars, trees, houses, and roads were greatly affected by the strong winds and rain brought by the storm. As of now, it is expected to take weeks to restore power and repair damaged property. Some progress has been made so far, as some residents have had power restored to their homes.
With Hurricane Sally gone, people are left to deal with the aftermath, but since hurricane season lasts until November, new tropical storms and hurricanes will likely form. After Sally made landfall, a new hurricane named Beta was expected to hit not only the states affected by Sally, but others like Texas, and possibly even areas in the northeast. All we can do right now is prepare ourselves for the next hurricane.
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