Ivey State of Emergency Covers 40 Counties as Hurricane Isaias Nears; Beach Visitors Ordered Out

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Gov. Kay Ivey’s state of emergency for 40 Alabama counties, including Mobile and Baldwin, remains in force as Hurricane Isaias closes in on the Gulf Coast, with forecasters expecting the storm to reach the coast late Friday or early Saturday. The order, which took effect Wednesday afternoon, puts the state’s emergency plan in motion, readies the Alabama National Guard and switches on Alabama’s price gouging protections in 40 of the state’s 67 counties.

Ivey followed the declaration on Thursday with a video message confirming that the system had become a hurricane, ordering state offices in nine southern counties to close at noon Friday and announcing, at the request of local officials, a mandatory evacuation of tourists and visitors from the Baldwin County beaches and Dauphin Island.

“At this moment, forecasts continue to show the real likelihood that the tropical system brewing in the Gulf could impact Alabama as a hurricane as early as Friday,” Ivey said when she announced the order. “While we continue to monitor forecasts, we have to prepare now. That is why I have issued a state of emergency for 40 counties. This will allow us to take any needed steps ahead of landfall.”

“As we approach the weekend and any travel plans, make sure you have reliable information as conditions develop,” the governor added. “While I hope for minimal impacts, we must take preparations seriously.”

What the state of emergency covers

The proclamation took effect at 4 p.m. Central on Wednesday, Oct. 7, and runs for seven days. It is set to expire at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, unless the governor extends it or sets a different expiration by proclamation.

The order’s footprint stretches from Mobile and Baldwin on the coast through the Wiregrass and the Black Belt and north to Montgomery, Lee and Tuscaloosa counties. The full list is:

• Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Chambers, Chilton, Clarke and Choctaw
• Coffee, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Dallas, Elmore, Escambia and Geneva
• Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Mobile and Monroe
• Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Russell, Sumter, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Washington and Wilcox

The proclamation does several practical things at once. It activates the Alabama Emergency Operations Plan and directs the Alabama National Guard to prepare for activation. It puts the state’s price gouging law into effect in all 40 counties. It waives federal hours-of-service limits for truck drivers hauling emergency supplies, so fuel, water, food and equipment can keep moving into the affected area. And it authorizes local school systems and state agency heads to close based on conditions in their communities.

The governor’s order cites a National Weather Service forecast calling for “strong winds, flooding, and tornadoes” beginning Friday evening.

A state of emergency does not by itself order anyone to leave home, and it is not a statement that damage has occurred. It is a legal tool that lets state government move faster, cut through routine rules and coordinate resources before a disaster hits. A governor’s emergency declaration is also typically an early step if the state later seeks federal disaster assistance.

Thursday: a hurricane, office closures and a visitor evacuation

By Thursday, Oct. 8, the storm had strengthened. In a video message released that day, Ivey told Alabamians that “the storm brewing in the Gulf of America is now officially a hurricane” and that forecasts continued to show “the real likelihood this hurricane will hit Alabama as early as Friday.”

The governor directed state offices and buildings in Baldwin, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Escambia, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Mobile counties to close beginning Friday, Oct. 9, at noon Central.

She also announced that, at the request of local officials, all non-residents, tourists and visitors in Baldwin County south of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, including Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, and on Dauphin Island in Mobile County, were required to evacuate immediately.

“Again, that means visitors in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Dauphin Island need to head home,” Ivey said. “We want to make sure y’all are safe and can enjoy Alabama in better weather.”

The governor said the state’s main concerns were strong winds, heavy rain and possible spinoff tornadoes. “We often hear in emergency management: Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst,” she said. “That is the approach we need with this particular storm system. After all, we only want to see one Tide roll this weekend.”

“Y’all be safe, heed local warnings and stay weather aware,” Ivey said.

What forecasters are saying

The National Hurricane Center issued hurricane and storm surge watches Wednesday morning for coastal Alabama, coastal Mississippi and the western Florida Panhandle. At the time, the center said it was “looking more likely that Isaias will be a significant hurricane when it reaches the coast,” and forecasters expected the storm to become a hurricane on Thursday and reach the coast late Friday or early Saturday. Isaias is the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2026 season.

The storm strengthened steadily on Wednesday. One afternoon advisory placed Isaias about 520 miles south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River, moving east-northeast at 8 mph with sustained winds of 50 mph. Later Wednesday afternoon, the hurricane center said the storm’s winds had reached 65 mph.

The National Weather Service office in Mobile said Isaias would likely be a “significant” Category 2 hurricane by the time it reached the coast. Jim Stefkovich, a meteorologist with the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, wrote Wednesday that landfall was expected late Friday or early Saturday as a Category 2 storm with winds of up to 110 mph. He said the storm could produce tornadoes along the Gulf Coast on Friday and across south Alabama on Saturday.

Rain is another major concern. The hurricane center said Isaias could produce 3 to 7 inches of rain from southeast Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, with isolated totals of up to 10 inches. Heavy rain on top of storm surge can trap water in low-lying neighborhoods, and the weather service has warned that torrential rainfall could cause flash flooding.

On the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, a Category 2 hurricane has sustained winds of 96 to 110 mph and can cause extensive damage to roofs, siding, trees and power lines, with outages that may last days. The scale measures wind only. Storm surge, inland flooding and tornadoes can be deadly regardless of a storm’s category.

Local declarations and evacuations

The state order came on the heels of local action on the coast. Baldwin County officials, along with multiple municipalities across the county, declared a local state of emergency after an emergency meeting. The declaration allows for the rapid activation of personnel, resources and emergency support functions.

A voluntary evacuation was put in place for coastal areas and flood-prone, low-lying communities, and Ivey’s Thursday order made evacuation mandatory for visitors south of the Intracoastal Waterway in Baldwin County and on Dauphin Island.

In Mobile County, EMA Director Mike Evans said Wednesday that the county might issue its own state of emergency. The Mobile County Emergency Management Agency said it was monitoring the storm and coordinating with local, state and federal partners.

“Now is the time to prepare,” Mobile County EMA said. “Complete household preparations, have multiple ways to receive weather alerts and know where you’ll go if you live in a storm surge area or manufactured home and need safer shelter.”

Residents of coastal Alabama are being advised to check county government websites and social media pages for updates on resources, advisories and announcements, and to review their emergency plans before conditions deteriorate.

Price gouging protections are in effect

Because of the emergency declaration, Alabama’s price gouging law now applies in all 40 counties. Under state law, a price that is 25 percent or more above the average price charged in the same area within the previous 30 days is considered unconscionable unless the increase can be attributed to a reasonable cost.

The law applies to the kinds of goods and services people need most in a storm, such as fuel, food, water, lodging, building materials and repair work. Residents who believe they have been overcharged can report it to the Alabama Attorney General’s Office consumer hotline at 1-800-392-5658. Keeping receipts, photos of posted prices and the name and location of the business will help investigators.

Football Saturday in Tuscaloosa

The storm also arrives on a big weekend in Tuscaloosa, one of the 40 counties under the order. Alabama is scheduled to host Georgia on Saturday, and President Donald Trump has been scheduled to attend.

Asked about the forecast in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said his attendance would depend on the weather. The University of Alabama athletics department said Tuesday it had no plans to move the game.

“Alabama athletics is closely monitoring the weather forecast ahead of Saturday’s football game vs. Georgia,” the department said in a statement. “At this time, there are no plans to alter the contest. We will continue to observe conditions throughout the week and remain in communication with the Southeastern Conference office, as needed.”

What residents should do now

Emergency managers say the window for preparation is closing as conditions are expected to worsen Friday evening. Officials recommend the following:

• Follow evacuation orders. Visitors in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, the rest of Baldwin County south of the Intracoastal Waterway and on Dauphin Island are required to leave. Residents in surge zones, flood-prone areas and manufactured homes should know where they will go and leave early if told to do so.
• Get alerts several ways. Keep a charged phone with emergency alerts turned on, a battery-powered weather radio and the social media pages of your county EMA and the National Weather Service in Mobile.
• Finish your kit. Have drinking water, nonperishable food, medications, flashlights, batteries, first-aid supplies and important documents in a waterproof container.
• Plan for tornadoes. Know the interior room on the lowest floor of your home where you would shelter if a tornado warning is issued.
• Never drive through floodwater. A few inches of moving water can sweep a vehicle off the road, and flooded roads can hide washouts and downed power lines.
• Check on neighbors. Older relatives and people with medical needs may need help preparing or getting out.

Official information is available from the National Hurricane Center at hurricanes.gov, the National Weather Service in Mobile at weather.gov/mob, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency at ema.alabama.gov and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s preparedness site, ready.gov.

The state of emergency will remain in effect through Oct. 14 unless Ivey changes it. State and local officials have said they will continue to issue updates as Isaias approaches.