Gov. Kay Ivey issued a mandatory evacuation order for visitors and tourists along Alabama’s beach areas as Hurricane Delta churned in the Gulf of Mexico.
The order covered Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Dauphin Island and the unincorporated areas of Ono Island and Fort Morgan. The governor said only local residents with a hurricane pass — or contractors working on Hurricane Sally recovery projects — should be in the beach areas starting Wednesday morning.
Delta’s Uncertain Track
“Working with local leaders … it has been determined that all visitors and tourists should proceed with a mandatory evacuation of the Alabama Gulf Coast starting first thing tomorrow morning,” Ivey said. “This is for their safety and well-being, as well as for the safety and well-being of locals who are working to prepare their communities in the event Hurricane Delta tracks more easterly.”
The National Hurricane Center projected Delta to make landfall in central Louisiana, but the Alabama Gulf Coast remained inside the cone of uncertainty, and coastal communities still recovering from Sally weeks earlier were taking no chances.
Ivey also declared a state of emergency for Mobile and Baldwin counties ahead of the storm.