Bayou La Batre Fills Sandbags, Fuels Evacuation Vans as Hurricane Isaias Threatens Surge

BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. — In the south Mobile County fishing town of Bayou La Batre, city crews spent the middle of the week shoveling sand into bags for residents and businesses, topping off the fuel tanks of every city vehicle and lining up community center vans that could carry people out of harm’s way if an evacuation becomes necessary. By Friday, Oct. 9, the storm they were preparing for had become Hurricane Isaias, a Category 2 hurricane headed for the northern Gulf Coast.

“I’m hoping and praying that it don’t come in here. But if it does, we will be prepared,” Bayou La Batre Mayor Henry Barnes said.

Here is a look at how the city has prepared, what forecasters expect for coastal Mobile County, and what residents need to know as conditions deteriorate.

Where Hurricane Isaias stands

Isaias strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane on Thursday. As of the National Hurricane Center’s 4 p.m. Thursday advisory, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, an increase of 15 mph from the 10 a.m. advisory, and forecasters expected it to strengthen further overnight, possibly reaching 110 mph early Friday. The projected track shifted slightly east on Thursday, but landfall was still expected along the Alabama-western Florida Panhandle coast late Friday or early Saturday, with the exact location uncertain.

Hurricane and storm surge warnings are in effect for coastal Alabama, including all of Mobile County. Forecasters said tropical-storm-force winds were expected to arrive Friday, with hurricane conditions possible Friday night into early Saturday.

For Bayou La Batre, the biggest concern is water. Forecasters have called for life-threatening storm surge of 5 to 7 feet above normally dry ground in vulnerable portions of the coast and Mobile Bay, and local forecast discussions on Thursday specifically listed Bayou La Batre, along with Dauphin Island, the Dog River and the Mobile River, among the Mobile County waterfront communities where surge is a serious threat. Those same forecasts said the current track generally places Mobile County west of the hurricane’s strongest wind core, but coastal locations could still see gusts approaching 80 mph, along with heavy rain, downed trees, blocked roads and extended power outages.

Surge forecasts describe how high water could rise above ground that is normally dry, not the height of waves. Actual flooding at any one spot depends on the storm’s final track, the shape of the coastline and whether the peak surge arrives near high tide. Forecasters also stressed that the greatest surge generally occurs near and east of where a hurricane’s center comes ashore, which is why small changes in the track matter so much for communities on Mobile Bay and the Mississippi Sound.

Sandbags for homes and businesses

On Wednesday morning, Bayou La Batre Public Works crews filled sandbags and set them out for the public. The city made them available to residents and to local businesses.

“We have almost two pallets full right there for the public and for the businesses. We allow the businesses to get them, too,” Barnes said.

Residents who stopped by described the kinds of problems they were trying to head off. Evelyn Nelson picked up sandbags for her mother, whose home sits low to the ground.

“Where she’s at right now, she’s in a little house on the ground, and I’m scared the water’s going to come and go inside the little house,” Nelson said.

Burt Wilchar said his concern was wind-driven rain pushing water under doors that have leaked in past storms.

“We got a couple back doors that, in real bad rain, water tends to come in them, so we sandbag them,” Wilchar said.

Sandbags are most useful for slowing and redirecting shallow water from rain or minor flooding at doorways and other low entry points. Emergency management agencies generally recommend filling bags about half to two-thirds full, packing them tightly in staggered rows like bricks and, where possible, placing plastic sheeting behind the barrier. Sandbags are not designed to hold back deep storm surge, and they are not a reason to stay in a home that officials have told people to leave.

Bayou La Batre was not the only community handing out sand earlier in the week. Foley, Saraland, Daphne and Spanish Fort were among the cities that opened sand and sandbag sites for residents ahead of the storm. Hours and supplies at those sites varied, and with conditions expected to deteriorate Friday, residents should check with their own city before heading out.

City vehicles fueled, vans ready for evacuations

Barnes said the city was making sure all of its vehicles were fueled, including vans at the community center that could be used to help people evacuate if needed. Fueling up ahead of time matters because gas stations can run short or lose power as a storm approaches, and roads can become impassable once strong winds and flooding arrive.

Evacuation order covers parts of Bayou La Batre

On Thursday, Gov. Kay Ivey ordered visitors and non-residents to leave the most exposed parts of Alabama’s coast ahead of the storm. According to the state proclamation, the order covers all areas of Baldwin County south of the Intracoastal Waterway and all of Zone 1 in Mobile County, which includes Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Dauphin Island as well as parts of Bayou La Batre.

Mobile County officials have also encouraged residents to have a plan to voluntarily evacuate to a safe location. The county has urged people who live in storm surge and flood-prone areas, in manufactured homes or in other structures that may not withstand hurricane-force winds to relocate before conditions worsen. Staying with family or friends in a safer area is encouraged, and public shelters are available for those who need them.

Residents who are unsure whether they live in an evacuation zone can check with the Mobile County Emergency Management Agency. Officials stress that evacuating does not necessarily mean traveling hundreds of miles; the goal is to get out of areas threatened by surge and flooding and into a sturdy building.

Mobile County shelters open Friday

Mobile County’s public shelters opened at 8 a.m. Friday, Oct. 9. The county lists three locations:

• Theodore High School, 6201 Swedetown Road North, Theodore. General shelter and the county’s medical needs shelter.
• Baker High School, 8901 Airport Blvd., Mobile. General shelter.
• Collins-Rhodes Elementary School, 5110 St. Stephens Road, Eight Mile. General shelter.

The county said Cranford Burns Middle School could not serve as the medical needs shelter during Isaias because of unforeseen circumstances, so medical needs sheltering moved to Theodore High School, the closest of the three shelters to Bayou La Batre.

Residents who need transportation to a shelter can call 2-1-1. Only trained service animals are allowed inside the shelters, but the Mobile County Animal Shelter planned to station vehicles at each location to take household pets to the county’s animal shelter on Howells Ferry Road, where they will be cared for while their owners shelter.

Shelter space and amenities are limited, and the county advises people to bring what they need to be self-sufficient, including:

• Prescription medications and essential medical supplies
• Baby formula, diapers and special dietary items
• Food, water and personal necessities for up to 72 hours
• Bedding, blankets, pillows and hygiene items
• Cleaning supplies such as soap, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes

A fishing fleet ties down

Bayou La Batre’s identity is tied to the water. The city, which sits on the bayou that gives it its name near the Mississippi Sound, is widely known as the Seafood Capital of Alabama, home to shrimp boats, seafood processors and shipyards that build and repair vessels for commercial customers. That waterfront economy is also what makes the community so exposed when a hurricane approaches.

On Thursday, boat owners were busy securing their vessels. Tony Rice and Lance Connor installed doors on their fishing boat to protect it, and Rice said they planned to move it to a less crowded spot to reduce the chance of it striking other boats moored nearby.

The town has seen how destructive surge can be. During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, storm surge flooded large parts of Bayou La Batre and pushed boats out of the water and onto land, and the community spent years rebuilding. Residents who lived through that storm and others have learned to take forecasts of rising water seriously.

What residents should do now

With the storm expected to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday, the window for outdoor preparations is closing. Officials and forecasters offer the following guidance:

• Follow evacuation instructions. If you are in Zone 1 or another area officials have told to leave, go promptly and do not wait for water to start rising.
• Be in a safe place before conditions worsen. Roads, bridges and causeways can close once winds become dangerous, and emergency crews may not be able to respond during the worst of the storm.
• Turn around, don’t drown. Never drive or walk through flooded roads. Water can be deeper and faster than it looks, and the roadway beneath may be damaged.
• Prepare for power outages. Charge phones and backup batteries, and make arrangements for medical equipment and refrigerated medications.
• Use generators safely. Never run a generator inside a home, garage or enclosed porch, or near doors, windows or vents. Carbon monoxide poisoning can be deadly.
• Know your tornado safe place. Tornadoes are possible in the hurricane’s rain bands Friday night into Saturday. The safest spot is a small interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building, away from windows.
• Have more than one way to get alerts. Keep emergency alerts turned on and have a battery-powered or hand-crank weather radio if possible.

For official updates, residents can follow the Mobile County Emergency Management Agency on social media or through its free mobile app, the National Weather Service office in Mobile, and the National Hurricane Center at nhc.noaa.gov. Information about the city’s own response is available from the City of Bayou La Batre.

Barnes summed up the city’s approach in simple terms: hope for a miss, but be ready if it comes.