Dauphin Island Evacuation: West End Ordered Out as Hurricane Isaias Nears; Water Shutoff Planned

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. — A Dauphin Island evacuation order now covers the island’s west end as Hurricane Isaias closes in on the northern Gulf Coast, and residents across the barrier island spent Thursday boarding windows, stacking sandbags and, in many cases, packing their cars to leave ahead of the storm.

The Town of Dauphin Island issued the evacuation notice for the island’s most exposed stretch on Wednesday, Oct. 7, and it took effect at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8. Hours earlier on Thursday, Gov. Kay Ivey went further, ordering all non-residents, tourists and visitors to leave the entire island as part of a mandatory evacuation covering Mobile County’s Zone 1 and the Baldwin County beaches.

Mayor Jeff Collier said town departments have been preparing around the clock and urged people not to wait. “The main thing we are trying to tell them is to be prepared and don’t wait until the last minute,” Collier said.

Who is covered by the evacuation orders

The town’s order applies to the area from Pirate’s Cove Street, at the point where the main road narrows from four lanes to two, west to the end of the island. That western section is the lowest-lying and most vulnerable part of Dauphin Island, where homes sit on a narrow strip of sand between the Gulf and Mississippi Sound and where storm surge and overwash have historically done the most damage.

In a social media post announcing the order, Collier said residents, property owners and visitors should prepare now. Officials said conditions will depend on where the storm makes landfall, but strong winds, heavy rain, high surf and storm surge are expected. The town also warned that the Dauphin Island Causeway, the only road connection between the island and the mainland, could be closed to traffic depending on conditions.

Residents in other low-lying areas, including Salt Creek and other parts of the island prone to chronic flooding, were told to watch rising water closely and take appropriate action. Collier said additional evacuation notices could follow if conditions change.

Ivey’s proclamation, signed Thursday and effective at 2:30 p.m., directs all non-residents, tourists and visitors in the covered areas to leave immediately and stay away until the state of emergency expires or the order is changed in writing. The covered areas are all of Baldwin County south of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, including Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, and all of Zone 1 in Mobile County, which the order says includes all of Dauphin Island and parts of Bayou La Batre. The governor had declared a state of emergency for Mobile, Baldwin and 38 other counties on Wednesday.

Water shutoff and boil-water notice expected

Dauphin Island Water & Sewer plans to shut off water service to the west end, from St. Denis Court westward, either late Thursday or early Friday morning, depending on the weather. Once service returns, residents in that area will need to boil their water until a boil-water order is lifted.

The utility also cautioned that water service could be shut off to the entire island, depending on how severe the storm is and what kind of damage it causes. Shutting down lines ahead of a storm helps protect the system from losing pressure and drawing in contaminated water if pipes are broken by surge, wind or falling debris.

Under a boil-water notice, health officials generally advise bringing water to a rolling boil for at least one minute before drinking it, cooking with it, brushing teeth or making ice, or using bottled water instead. Residents should follow the specific instructions issued by the utility when service is restored.

What property owners are asked to do

Town officials asked property owners to take several steps before leaving or riding out the storm:

• Disconnect potable water supplies to all boat docks and piers.
• Turn off sprinkler systems.
• Secure trash cans, deck furniture and anything else that could be carried off by wind or moving water.
• Properly moor or store all boats and other vessels.

The town’s Public Works Department has sand and sandbags available for residents. Town dumpsters were scheduled to be open Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to noon, weather permitting, giving residents a place to get rid of debris and trash that could otherwise become a hazard in high winds.

Hurricane re-entry passes are available at Town Hall during normal business hours. After a storm, access to barrier islands is often limited at first to residents, property owners and essential workers, and a re-entry pass can make it easier to get back once officials determine it is safe.

Residents board up and move up departures

Across the island on Thursday, residents and businesses were covering windows, laying sandbags and taking other measures to protect their property. Some had already left because of concerns about flooding and storm surge.

Chris Provost and Brisi Hall, who have lived on Dauphin Island for years, said storm preparation is a familiar routine. They had originally planned to leave on Sunday but decided to go sooner as the forecast worsened.

“Yeah, we’re leaving first thing in the morning. We were going to leave Sunday morning, but we just decided to bump it up,” Provost said.

The couple said their home has never flooded, but they still wanted it secured before they left. “Don’t take anything for granted and take care of the things that you care about,” Provost said.

Hall offered similar advice. “Just be cautious and try to protect what you got, and, you know, life’s going to happen,” she said.

Collier said town staff have spent the past several days making sure every department is ready. “We have been spending a lot of time over the last handful of days and making sure that the town is ready and all departments are suited up and ready to go,” he said. “And we are putting out messages, making sure our residents and visitors are also aware of the pending hurricane.”

The mayor also said he did not expect substantial damage on the island, but stressed that hurricanes can change quickly. “These things are very fickle and a little jog here or there, or some last-minute increase in strength — we just have to be prepared for the worst,” Collier said.

The storm has also scrambled the island’s fall calendar. The town’s Art Trail, which had been scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10, has been moved to Nov. 21. The Sunset Concert planned for Sunday, Oct. 11, has been canceled.

Where the storm stands

Isaias became the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season late Wednesday, and hurricane and storm surge warnings are in effect for coastal Alabama, including Mobile and Baldwin counties. As of the National Hurricane Center’s 4 p.m. advisory Thursday, Isaias was a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, moving northeast at about 12 mph, and forecasters expected some additional strengthening overnight before the storm turned north toward the coast.

Landfall is expected late Friday or early Saturday. Forecasters have said the official track shifted slightly east on Thursday, with the Alabama-Florida state line near the center of the forecast, but they have repeatedly cautioned that the exact landfall point remains uncertain and that dangerous conditions will extend well away from the center. The National Hurricane Center has forecast potential storm surge of 5 to 7 feet in parts of the Alabama coast, including Mobile Bay, along with damaging winds, heavy rain, flash flooding, dangerous surf and the possibility of tornadoes.

Tropical storm-force winds could reach the coast as early as late Friday morning. Mobile County Emergency Management Agency Director Mike Evans has advised residents to be in their safe places and ready to ride out the storm by midday Friday.

Dauphin Island has been here before. Hurricane Frederic’s center crossed the western end of the island in September 1979, and the storm’s surge and winds devastated the Mobile Bay region. Later storms, including Hurricanes Ivan in 2004 and Katrina in 2005, also caused heavy damage and erosion on the island’s west end, which is why local officials treat that area as the first priority whenever a hurricane threatens.

Shelters and resources in Mobile County

Mobile County will open three public shelters at 8 a.m. Friday, Oct. 9, at Mobile County Public Schools facilities:

• Theodore High School, 6201 Swedetown Road North, Theodore.
• Baker High School, 8901 Airport Blvd., Mobile.
• Cranford Burns Middle School, 6175 Girby Road, Mobile, which will serve as a medical needs shelter staffed with Mobile County Health Department personnel.

Residents who need a ride to a shelter can call 2-1-1. Only trained service animals are allowed inside the shelters, but Mobile County Animal Shelter will have vehicles at each site to take household pets to the county’s animal shelter on Howells Ferry Road, where they will be cared for while their owners shelter. People heading to a shelter should bring medications, bedding, hygiene items, and food and water for up to 72 hours, and should expect limited space and amenities.

County officials have encouraged people in surge zones, flood-prone areas and manufactured homes to relocate before conditions deteriorate, ideally to stay with family or friends in a safer location.

Residents and property owners can follow the Town of Dauphin Island’s official channels for updates on the causeway, water service and re-entry, and the Mobile County Emergency Management Agency’s social media accounts and free mobile app for countywide information. Forecasts and advisories are available from the National Hurricane Center at nhc.noaa.gov and the National Weather Service office in Mobile at weather.gov/mob. In an emergency, call 911.

Collier said town officials will keep posting updates as more information becomes available.