Hurricane Sally made landfall around 5:45AM CDT near Gulf Shores, Alabama on Wednesday, September 16. As of 4:00PM CDT, Sally is currently a post-tropical cyclone.
Impacts:
Southeastern Alabama and northern Florida, along the Panhandle, received the largest impacts from Hurricane Sally. General weather impacts are below. See the Healthcare Response Updates and Needs section for additional information on healthcare infrastructure status, power and communications status, county curfews, and more.
Florida: Florida reported up to 20 inches of rain, focused in the Pensacola area and the Florida Panhandle. In addition to downed power lines and power outages throughout the affected area, there was significant flooding.
Much of downtown Pensacola saw flooding, in Escambia County, a portion of northbound U.S. 29 was closed due to flooding.
In Gulf Breeze, the Interstate-10 Bridge, Bob Sikes Bridge, Garcon Point Bridge, and the Pensacola Bay Bridge were closed due to storm-related damage.
In Okaloosa County, Brooks Bridge on U.S. 98 was closed due to high winds, and parts of Westbound U.S. 98 were closed due to flooding. Three Mile Bridge, which links Pensacola to Gulf Breeze, sustained significant damage, and was forced to close. A portion of I-10 is closed due to flooding near Crestview, FL.
For up to date road closure information, check FL511.
Alabama: Alabama also reported significant amounts of rain, wind, and flooding damage.
Foley, Alabama, reported fallen trees and powerlines, in addition to many flooded roadways. Most major roadways in Foley had been cleared by Thursday morning.
An electric utility in Southern Alabama reported that the damage to infrastructure was severe enough that it may take a significant amount of time to restore power.
Many areas near Mobile and along the Mobile Bay saw historic levels of flooding. Road closures are focused along the coastal areas of Alabama.
For up to date road closure information, check ALGO Traffic.
Mississippi: Mississippi did not experience major impacts from Hurricane Sally.
Mississippi is not reporting major road closures due to the weather at this time.
Louisiana: Louisiana did not see major impacts from Hurricane Sally.
Watches and Warnings:
Flash Flood Watches are in effect from northeast Georgia across much of upstate South Carolina, most of North Carolina, and southeast Virginia.
A Tornado Watch is posted across portions of central and northeast South Carolina.
Future Impacts:
Flooding remains the most significant direct threat to healthcare infrastructure in the areas impacted by the storm, particularly in Alabama and far northwestern Florida.
Rainfall and Flooding: 4-6 inches of rain is expected in North Carolina, South Carolina, and southern Virginia, with isolated accumulations of 10 inches. Widespread flash flooding and minor to moderate river flooding is likely. The Florida panhandle may also experience additional river flooding in the coming days as rainfall from Georgia flows south.
Tornadoes: Isolated tornadoes are possible between southeast Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina into the evening of September 17.
Surf: Swells will continue to affect the Gulf Coast from the Florida Big Bend to southeastern Louisiana today, and are likely to cause life-threatening.
A Supplement was issued on September 14 requiring all beaches to close and recommending evacuation for Mobile and Baldwin Counties and other areas prone to flooding
Rx Open is currently activated for the nation. The map was updated at 2:00PM EDT on Thursday September 17, 2020. A number of counties in Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi are reporting impacts to pharmacy operations:
Alabama is reporting 87.97% of its pharmacies as open.
Baldwin, Butler, Conecuh and Escambia counties are all reporting less than 50% of pharmacies as open.
Florida is reporting 95.58% of its pharmacies as open.
Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are both reporting less than 50% of pharmacies as open.
Mississippi is reporting 97.75% of its pharmacies as open. No counties in Mississippi are reporting less than 50% of pharmacies as open.
Louisiana is reporting 97.20% of its pharmacies as open. No counties in Louisiana are reporting less than 50% of pharmacies as open.
Fewer than five hospitals remain on generator power, each with over 80 hours of fuel stock. There are no reported unmet needs at this time.
Prescription Refill Guidance:
Louisiana: Under LA State Code, under a declared "State of Emergency”, a pharmacist may dispense a one-time emergency prescription of up to a 30-day supply of a prescribed medication.
Alabama: The Alabama Board of Pharmacy issued emergency prescription authorization to remain in effect for the duration of the COVID-19 State of Emergency that allows a one-time 30-day refill of maintenance medications if the pharmacy has patient information on file. This is in effect for all of Alabama at this time.
By regulations from the 2016 Code of Alabama, if unable to contact a prescriber, a pharmacist may dispense a one-time, 72-hour supply of a non-controlled prescription.
Mississippi: Due to Hurricane Sally, the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy issued a Resolution allowing a one-time 30-day refill of non-controlled prescription medications between September 14 and 28.
Florida: Florida law mandates that residents of counties under a State of Emergency, hurricane warning, or that have activated their Emergency Operations Center (EOC) or emergency management plan can receive a 30-day refill of their prescription medication.
Power: There are a total of 604,753 outages across Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia
Louisiana: Louisiana is reporting approximately 58,000 power outages. The majority of these outages may remain from the impacts of Hurricane Laura.
Alabama: Alabama is reporting 286,886 power outages. Approximately 13.8% of the state is without power.
Florida: Florida is reporting 224,664 power outages. Approximately 2% of the state is without power.
Georgia: Georgia is reporting 35,533 power outages. Less than 1% of the state is without power. outages.
Mississippi: Mississippi is reporting limited power outages, with 516 power outages
Mobile County Emergency Management Agency recommended that citizens evacuate to higher areas with friends or family outside of hurricane surge zones 1 and 2.
The Alabama Department of Public Health issued an order of the state health officer requiring any organization or jurisdiction offering sheltering operations to provide non-congregate sheltering to individuals with increased risk.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency issued frequently asked questions for general population sheltering in a COVID-19 environment. The shelters will have 3 distinct areas: initial screening, dormitory, and isolation care. Residents and workers will be required to wear face coverings, and the space allocation is 60 square feet per person.
Florida
Five shelters are open in Florida in the following counties: Calhoun (3 shelters), Santa Rosa (1, pet friendly), and Escambia (2)
COVID-19 Testing:
The interruption of COVID-19 testing and increased exposure of residents to COVID-19 due to evacuation and sheltering is a significant threat to controlling the spread of the virus in areas impacted by the storm.
Two testing sites in Bay County are closed due to flooding. They are expected to reopen on September 18.
Okaloosa County's COVID-19 testing site will be closed Thursday.
Louisiana:
Louisiana closed some COVID-19 testing sites in anticipation of Hurricane Sally, but due to lack of severe impact, most are expected to reopen in the latter half of this week.
Georgia:
The Georgia Department of Public warned that some COVID-19 testing sites may be closed due to inclement weather on September 17 and 18. Local health districts should be contacted to find availability.
Mississippi has not reported large scale COVID-19 testing impacts at this time.
Other Actions
If you become aware of situation(s) that may adversely affect healthcare supply or care in the affected area, or if you would like to request the assistance of Healthcare Ready, please contact us at Alerts@HealthcareReady.org or call 1.866.247.2694.
We are standing by, ready to assist those in the impacted areas. For those of you in the affected areas, our thoughts are with you.
Rx on the Run, a downloadable medication card for citizens to keep track of their medications.
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