Dauphin Island emerged as one of the hardest-hit spots in south Mobile County when Hurricane Ida swept through, and Mayor Jeff Collier says the island was still in the early stages of cleanup as floodwaters and sand covered the west end, where most residents remained without power.
“This equals to if not exceeds what we saw during Sally and Zeta last year,” Collier said, comparing the damage to the two major storms that struck the island in 2020.
Ida’s powerful storm surge shoved sand and water onto Bienville Boulevard, toppled power poles and made the west end of the island impassable. Collier said recovery would be measured in weeks.
“I think it’s going to take multiple weeks at least before we can get things back to where you can get back down there without too much trouble, so it’s going to take us quite a bit of time,” he said.
Most of the impact was concentrated on the west end. A concert planned for Labor Day weekend there was relocated to the rodeo grounds. While the rest of the island reopened after the storm, the west end stayed cut off pending cleanup.