BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. — Bayou La Batre city leaders have imposed a nighttime curfew as Hurricane Sally threatened the Alabama Gulf Coast with heavy rain, storm surge, and damaging winds.
Curfew Hours
Mayor Downey enacted the curfew for Tuesday, Sept. 15, and Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. Under the order, residents must remain off the streets from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. each night while the storm passes through the area.
The curfew is a standard emergency measure for coastal communities ahead of a hurricane landfall. It keeps drivers off flooded and debris-strewn roads in the dark, allows crews to work safely, and helps police and first responders concentrate on emergencies during the worst of the weather.
A Vulnerable Working Waterfront
Bayou La Batre, a small fishing village on the west side of Mobile County, is among the most flood-prone communities on the Alabama coast. Sitting at sea level along the Mississippi Sound, the city suffered catastrophic damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Ivan in past decades, and officials there tend to act early when storms approach.
Sally ultimately came ashore near Gulf Shores on Sept. 16, 2020, as a Category 2 hurricane, pushing significant storm surge into bayou communities like Bayou La Batre and Coden.