Bare Shelves, Sandbags and a Prayer Over the Bay: Mobile and Baldwin Residents Brace for Hurricane Isaias

MOBILE, Ala. — Empty bread shelves, gas stations out of fuel, piles of sand at police precincts and a prayer said over Mobile Bay marked the final hours before Hurricane Isaias reaches the coast. Residents of Mobile and Baldwin counties spent the week getting ready, and on Friday, Oct. 9, local leaders are telling everyone to finish preparations and be off the roads before the worst weather arrives.

Isaias became a hurricane Thursday. The National Hurricane Center called it a Category 2 storm with 100 mph winds and said further strengthening was expected. Forecasters expect landfall along the northern Gulf Coast Friday night into early Saturday. Coastal Alabama is under a hurricane warning and a storm surge warning, and the National Weather Service has forecast 5 to 7 feet of storm surge for Alabama’s beaches and Mobile Bay if the peak surge comes at high tide.

Here is how people across the region spent the days before the storm, and what officials want residents to know now.

Water, bread and gas go fast

The rush started early in the week, while Isaias was still a tropical storm. By Wednesday, Oct. 7, grocery stores were packed, bread and water were flying off the shelves and at least one gas station in Gulf Shores had run out of fuel. Stores in Foley and across south Baldwin County were selling out of bottled water and bread by Thursday. Fuel demand jumped along coastal routes, leading to long lines and some stations running dry.

Kamal Constantine, who owns several Piggly Wiggly stores in Mobile and Baldwin counties, said customers were buying more than usual.

“People go in after water, of course. That’s the biggest thing. We still have a lot of water. Thank God we lucked out and bought some extra water either way. So, water is big. Bread is big. Canned food is big. Charcoal. People are looking for charcoal, looking for chips and snacks and stuff like that,” Constantine said. “This is the time the customers need us. And when they need us, we have to do this.”

Some shoppers admitted they tend to wait until the last minute.

“I always wait until the last minute because I don’t believe it’s going to be that bad. But, you know, I’m prepared anyway,” said customer Vickie Graham.

“I’m like her. I wait for the last minute,” said her fellow shopper Paula McCall.

Because Alabama is under a state of emergency, the state’s price-gouging law is in effect. Officials reminded merchants that raising prices unjustifiably on essentials such as food, water, gasoline, ice and lodging during a declared emergency is prohibited. Residents who believe they have been overcharged can report it to the Alabama Attorney General’s Office or local law enforcement.

Sandbags in Mobile and Baldwin counties

Free sand was one of the most visible signs of the storm prep. The City of Mobile began handing out sandbags for residents in flood-prone areas at 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Mobile Police Department’s First Precinct and at the James Seals Community Center, while supplies last.

Janice Westry was among the south Mobile residents filling bags at the Dauphin Island Parkway precinct Thursday morning. She says she remembers every hurricane that has hit the city since Frederic in 1979. The Doyle Avenue resident said floodwaters from a past hurricane once rose to her front door. She planned to take 15 bags home and then go to the grocery store.

“It’s safe to be prepared,” she said. “I’m going to stay at home and hope for the best.”

Bryant Knight came for 30 bags for his house on Park Road. After seeing neighbors struggle to fill their own, the Army veteran stayed for several more hours to help. He estimated he filled about 150 sandbags in all. Knight lived in Mobile through Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and said he was worried about the 5- to 7-foot surge forecast for Isaias.

In Baldwin County, residents filled bags at the county’s Central Annex. “It’s a big relief to just take one thing off of the citizens trying to get ready for the storm,” Kelly Rodgers said. “For the county to be doing this and have this resource out here.”

“We’re just, you know, hoping it doesn’t get as bad as it could,” Jason Rodgers added.

Foley, Bay Minette, Gulf Shores, Daphne, Orange Beach and Robertsdale also opened sand distribution points to help homeowners protect their property from heavy rain and flash flooding.

Sandbags work best when they are filled about half to two-thirds full, laid flat and overlapped like bricks. They can slow and redirect shallow water, but they won’t make a home waterproof. Residents should still move valuables off the floor and be ready to leave if water rises.

Mobile mayor: ‘I don’t want people to take it lightly’

Mobile Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis held a news conference Thursday near the sand pile at the Dauphin Island Parkway precinct. He said the city has taken a number of steps to get residents ready before Isaias makes landfall.

Some forecasts showed the storm coming ashore east of the city late Friday night. Cheriogotis said Mobile will still feel the storm and residents should be ready for intense rain and wind. He advised people to shelter in place Friday before the bad weather arrives.

“I don’t want people to take it lightly,” he said. “We’re going to make sure we’re doing everything we can to keep our citizens safe.”

The city is using its Second Line Transit bus system to take residents who need a ride to one of three shelters. Anyone who needs a ride should meet at Bel Air Mall at 9 a.m. Friday. The Mobile shelters are:

• Baker High School
• Burns Middle School
• Theodore High School

Shelters and help in Baldwin County

The Baldwin County Commission held an emergency meeting Wednesday and declared a local state of emergency. County emergency managers have issued a voluntary evacuation for residents of low-lying, coastal and flood-prone areas. Separately, Gov. Kay Ivey has ordered tourists and other non-residents to leave Baldwin County south of the Intracoastal Waterway and Mobile County’s Zone 1.

Resources for Baldwin County residents include:

• Baldwin County Coliseum, Robertsdale: The main public shelter, including pet-friendly space.
• St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Foley: A community support site providing space and supplies for evacuees.
• BRATS: The Baldwin Regional Area Transit System is arranging rides to shelter sites as long as the weather allows.

Officials also urged boat owners to get their boats out of the water and asked residents to secure patio furniture and anything else that could become a flying object.

Businesses and families make their plans

Out-of-town visitors began calling with questions early in the week. Orange Beach City Councilwoman Ginger Harrelson, who also owns Beachball Properties, said Wednesday that some guests wanted to cancel while others still hoped to come. “My advice would be to not come,” she said.

“I just want everyone to stay safe and pray it’s not catastrophic for our area and that we come together if it is,” Harrelson added.

In Fairhope, people gathered along the bay this week to watch the sunset before taking cover. Nick DiMario, co-owner of Sunset Pointe, said the restaurant held a Zoom call with its managers to set up a storm plan.

“From communication with employees, to a communication line with the management team, to alarms being put on the walk-ins and freezers, so that we know if we’ve lost power, an actual backup plan with our vendor to have a refrigerated truck on site if necessary,” DiMario said.

DiMario said Sunset Pointe, Squid Ink, Panini Pete’s, Waterfront and Parc Le Tralour planned to close at 2 p.m. Friday to prepare.

Fairhope resident Julie Rorie said she learned what a hurricane can do in the mountains. “I moved here from Asheville, and I lived through Hurricane Helene. Now that I know sort of what to expect in a hurricane, I have gone overboard. Gas generator, protein, stove, chargers, all kinds of food and water and tarps, and everything I could think of,” she said.

Robin Burgess said all that was left was to wait. “I’ve gotten everything out of the yard that could be a bullet,” she said. She also stocked up on dog food and other supplies.

In Daphne, the McGowin family is facing its first storm as a family of three. “We’ve got two cases of water, formula cans, baby food pouches,” Patti McGowin said. “We have peanut butter. We have bread.”

“I was in Gulf Shores for Sally back in 2020. Didn’t really have a care in the world back in 2020. I was 17 years old,” she said. “Now I’m 23, I have a nine-month-old, and I’m thinking of every single thing that could go wrong so I can be ready if I need to.” The family is setting up a generator. “Hopefully that will last us through the 1 to 2 days we might be out of power. I hope it’s no more than that,” she said.

A prayer over Mobile Bay

Thursday morning, the Most Rev. Mark Rivituso, archbishop of Mobile, stood in a gravel lot between the U.S. Highway 98 causeway and Interstate 10. With his hands stretched over the choppy water, he prayed that Mobile and Baldwin counties would be spared. Priests Nicholas Napolitano and Paul Zoghby joined him for the short service.

“In union with the prayers of the faithful throughout the archdiocese, and especially as Hurricane Isaias approaches, we gather here over the waters of Mobile Bay, originally named the Bay of the Holy Spirit, and facing the waters of the Gulf, to ask Almighty God for his protection upon our communities, our homes and all who may be in the path of the approaching storm,” Rivituso said.

He also urged people to look out for one another. “Be safe, be prudent. We’re in this together,” he said. “We’re here to help each other. Pray for one another so we can be protected from any harm.”

Final steps before the storm

With tropical storm-force winds expected to start reaching the coast Friday, officials say this is the last chance to finish preparing. Recommended steps include:

• Finish emergency kits with water, nonperishable food, medications, baby and pet supplies, flashlights, batteries and phone chargers.
• Bring in or tie down outdoor furniture, trash cans and anything else the wind could pick up.
• Know your evacuation zone, and if you plan to go to a shelter, go early.
• Run generators only outdoors and away from windows and doors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Never drive through flooded roads.
• Follow the Baldwin County EMA, the Mobile County EMA, the National Weather Service in Mobile and the National Hurricane Center for official updates.