Foley, Ala. — (OBA) —  Hurricane Isaias struck the Gulf Coast, leaving downed trees, damaged signs, and scattered power outages across Foley. The city avoided the heavy destruction that followed Hurricane Sally in 2020. Foley officials said city workers were prepared and responded promptly. The Foley City Council later held a special meeting to pass a debris-collection resolution and discuss the storm's effects.

Isaias made landfall near Destin, Fla., with 105 mph winds at about 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. By Saturday morning, Oct. 10, all streets in Foley were passable, and no flooding was reported on city streets. Foley received less than one inch of rain from the storm.

Crews worked in the days before Isaias arrived to clean drainage ditches and prepare for potential flooding. Contractors and city workers cleared downed trees from road rights-of-way as the storm passed Friday night and into early Saturday morning. Foley Fire Department crews were called in to work double shifts from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said city workers applied lessons learned from Hurricane Sally. "The lessons we learned from Sally were applied. I want to compliment our team," Hellmich said. "Their cooperation and communication was extraordinary and they were well positioned."

Hellmich also highlighted work done before the storm arrived. "They had already done work on the ditches," he said. "Our folks went out and were really ahead of this one, and I think we were much better prepared."

Fire Chief Joey Darby said crews responded to 29 storm-related calls between 3:30 p.m. and midnight. Most incidents involved fallen trees or downed power lines. Crews also responded to reports of small fires sparked when trees struck power lines during the high winds.

Falling trees damaged two mobile homes, but no injuries were reported. No firefighters were injured, and no equipment was damaged during the storm.

The Foley Police Department responded to 48 calls for service related to the storm, including 19 involving road hazards.

In preparation for Isaias, the city distributed approximately 20,000 sandbags to residents seeking to protect their property from flooding, according to preliminary estimates.

Mike Chavers, Foley street maintenance superintendent, said debris collection began Monday morning, with workers drawn from other city divisions to remove limbs and storm debris. Public Works crews will collect roadside debris Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Foley's standard 6-cubic-yard limit on residential yard debris has been temporarily lifted until further notice. Crews will work throughout the city to collect as much debris as possible. The goal is to complete the initial collection within two weeks of the storm.

Residents placing debris on the roadside for collection should sort the material into separate piles. Vegetative debris, construction debris, hazardous materials, and appliances should be kept in separate piles. The temporary limit lift applies only to storm debris — not to waste from property clearing or routine yard work.