ROBERTSDALE – As two named storms enter the Gulf of Mexico, Baldwin County emergency officials were preparing for the possible impacts.
The Baldwin County Commission held an emergency meeting Sunday, but after discussions with Emergency Management Agency officials, did not declare an emergency or shut down county departments.
“Right now, we do not see any indication or recommend that we pursue a local state of emergency,” Zach Hood, Emergency Management Agency director, said. “One of the trigger points and the reason that we would need a local state of emergency here in the county would be for continuous tropical storm or hurricane type winds. These are not going to be sustained as it’s forecast this morning.”
Hood said flooding will be the biggest problem in Baldwin County.
“Right now, as it looks, our common low-lying areas are going to be problematic,” Hood said. “We can see a little more impact out on our Fort Morgan peninsula and that’s really my concern is that we monitor the situation in Fort Morgan. There will be flooding. There are not only residents, but there are visitors there, so what we want to do is monitor the situation. We want to continue the message what is going on. We will monitor that through the evening.”
Scott Wallace, EMA operations coordinator, said the Alabama Department of Public Health announced that COVID-19 testing will be suspended for the upcoming week at the PZK Hall in Robertsdale. Wallace said the testing is done outside and officials did not want staff members doing the procedures during possible storms.
On Sunday, Baldwin County was under a tropical storm watch as Hurricane March and Tropical Storm Laura were both predicted to strike the central Gulf coast by the middle of the week. Hood, said county officials are watching both storms.
“We do have two storms that will enter the Gulf,” Hood said. “They will be in the Gulf at the same time. The question is, where do they go? For us, being a coastal community, given the nature of dealing with coronavirus, it’s important that we are very proactive in our response and what we do. So, what we will be doing is activating to a Level 3, this weekend. We will be monitoring the situation. We will be here in Robertsdale at the Emergency Operations Center and that will continue for the duration of the event.”
Jenni Guerry, deputy Baldwin EMA director, said no shelters have been opened in the county and no evacuation orders have been issued.
“We have already begun to receive phone calls where people are asking those questions about evacuations,’ Guerry said. “At this point in time, there is no shelters that are opened. We have not had that discussion just yet.”
She said people should have plans ready for evacuation and consider the needs of family members and pets.
“You also want to make sure that you’re making considerations for family members who may have special needs,” she said. “Who may have certain medical needs or who may have certain functional access needs. So take those things into consideration now, because the evacuation process may take longer given those considerations.”
Hood said residents should be prepared for the effects of storms during hurricane season and should not wait until the last minute to get ready.
“Go ahead and make sure you have provisions, such as medication, water, extra food, extra supplies, extra batteries,” Hood said. “I anticipate our grocery stores, our large box stores, are probably going to be very busy going into the weekend and that’s something that naturally we deal with during storms but what I want our residents to know is we take care of these things sooner than later.”
Hood said that on Friday, some residents did not know that a storm could be headed their way.
“There are individuals that I spoke with this morning that had no idea that the Gulf of Mexico is possibly and will potentially have two storms in the Gulf,” Hood said. “We want to make sure that we give every opportunity that we give every chance for people to understand that there will be two storms in the Gulf of Mexico early next week. We do not know exactly what their impacts will be, but the point is they are there and we have to be equipped and ready to react.”
Guerry said the county has alert systems that can help residents and visitors stay informed about hurricanes and other emergencies.
The EMA has a free app available on the county website at www.baldwincountyal.gov/ema, People can also register for a free notification program at alertbaldwin.com.
“It is a very powerful tool that allows us to communicate very powerfully and effectively,” Guerry said.
