By Emily Drooby
At least one person is dead and another missing after Hurricane Sally ripped through Alabama and Florida.
“The winds were high. It was whistling like I’ve never heard before,” one Gulf Shores, Alabama resident, told a Currents News.
Areas are still plagued by downed trees and powerlines, and many homes are still floating in flood waters caused by record-breaking rainfall.
In Alabama, rescue and recovery continued on Sept. 17, with many roads and bridges still impassable.
“Our state is reeling, just as our people are hurting,” said the state’s Governor, Kay Ivey.
The Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama closed their schools and offices in preparation for the storm, leaving them unreachable.
In Florida, the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee had some damage to some of their structures, including Little Flower Catholic Church and the Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel.
Many areas in their diocese have been left without power, and several of their parishes have suspended Masses and services until they can reopen.
The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee is trying to regroup, while still being left in the dark. While plans have yet to be formalized, they’ll be helping their local churches as soon as they can.
Also in Florida, hundreds were rescued from high waters with aid from 500 Florida National Guard soldiers.
“We had 30 inches of rain, 30-plus inches of rain, which is four months of rain in four hours at some point, so it is very bad and severe,” explained Chief Ginny Cranor of the Pensacola, Fl. Fire Department.
Sally may have passed through, but the danger isn’t over, Florida’s governor warning any body of water in Northwest Florida could see a rise in levels over the next few days.