Isidore pounds Alabama coast with rains, surf

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Posted 11:54AM on Thursday, September 26, 2002

MOBILE, Ala. - Torrential rains and winds from Tropical Storm Isidore pounded coastal Alabama as the system made landfall in Louisiana early Thursday. Major roads in Mobile and Baldwin counties were closed, and tidal surges of up to 6 feet were reported. Most of south Alabama remained under flood and tornado watches. Wind gusts of more than 50 mph were reported on the coast, where about 10 inches of rain fell. Blustery conditions extended inland, with stiff winds buffeting morning commuters in Birmingham, 200 miles north. No injuries were reported. Red Cross spokeswoman Kathy Barton said more than 200 people left their homes for shelters in Mobile and Baldwin counties, where Gov. Don Siegelman declared a state of emergency. National Guard units were activated to assist in evacuations and flood control. The state closed the four-lane Mobile Causeway from Spanish Fort to the Bankhead Tunnel in downtown Mobile. The lone bridge to Dauphin Island, a slender coastal barrier, was closed. Pounding surf eroded beaches at Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, and rising waters in Fish River and Mobile Bay covered several county highways. "We have electricity, but we lost our pier again. We have no water in the yard," said Orange Beach resident Burdette Schiehl, who lives on the Intracoastal Waterway. Floodwaters were under some houses, built off the ground because of storm surges. Orange Beach Fire Chief Mickey Robinson said the resort near the Florida line weathered Isidore without serious damage. "I know we've got several swimming pools on the beach full of sand," he said. But no structural damage from the many high-rises and homes on the beach had been reported Thursday. He said a building-to-building survey will be conducted later. "We had a good bit of beach erosion, especially on the east side of the (Perdido) Pass," he said. "We had water over quite a few roads. And a few small trees down, but we were very fortunate." Gulf Shores store owner Marty Hoffman, who lives on Little Lagoon, said the floodwaters had begun receding Thursday morning as he went to work. "I saw no gators, no snakes. We looked for them," he said of the water rising from the lagoon. A tornado spotted in Baldwin County Wednesday evening did not touch down. Flash flood warnings for Mobile, Baldwin and Escambia counties were issued by the National Weather Service Wednesday night. Flash flood watches covered most of the state. Andy Stasiowski at the National Weather Service in Mobile said Isidore was expected bring as much as 20 inches of rain over a wide area of the coast. The storm was expected to weaken as it made landfall, said forecaster John De made, but the threat of heavy rains, high winds and possible tornadoes would not diminish until late Thursday. Isidore spoiled many travel plans and disrupted vacations on Dauphin Island and Baldwin County's beach resorts. Tim Bailey, 41, of Uriah, and Richie Byrd, 37, of Frisco City, towed their 23-foot boat away from the soggy Dauphin Island campground Wednesday. "We were one of the last ones left," said Bailey. The two farmers said they were headed home to a rain-damaged cotton crop that was about ready for harvest. Emergency Management Agency officials urged residents to evacuate low-lying coastal areas because of the flood threat. The evacuations were voluntary for Dauphin Island and Bayou La Batre, and no massive retreat was expected. "I just want to be with a crowd in bad weather," said 70-year-old Jackie Long, checking into a shelter in Theodore, near Mobile. "I'm chicken when it comes to lightning. We'll stay here and see how bad it gets." Before noon Wednesday, the beach at Dauphin Island was deserted except for a couple of daredevil surfers and a few people in a beach pavilion watching the lines of rain sweeping in from the Gulf and flooding the island's streets. In metro Birmingham, where heavy downpours caused flooding last weekend, homeowners and businesses were preparing for another deluge in anticipation of Isidore's inland trek. Sandbags and plywood stood at the ready beside doorways on the lower level of Park South shopping center in Vestavia Hills, where Costume Creations was among the shops inundated by floodwaters from a nearby creek just four days earlier. "We're going to put wood up over the door and sandbags along the bottom of it and then caulk around it. It might keep something from seeping in," said Brenda Sparks, an employee for 20 years.