“If we get six feet of storm surge which is what we are forecast for – we’re currently in the four- to six-foot range – if we get that six-foot storm surge on top of 20 inches of rain, we’re going to have structure flooding in Orange Beach,” EMA Director Lannie Smith said. “There’s no way around it. It just builds up and it has nowhere to go.”

Smith is also the city’s Building Official and wears the EMA hat during tropical events and storms. As the probable path continues to ease east toward the Alabama Gulf Coast those effects could intensify, Smith said. 

“The track is heading east,” Smith said. “That can be a good thing and that could be a bad thing. We are now included in a hurricane warning. The wind speed probabilities have picked up for us however the closer we are to the center it gets us out of those outer rain bands so you are kind of making a tradeoff and we’ll have more wind. It depends on where landfall is. Right now, it’s basically showing landfall east of Gulfport.

“We’re still going to be on that northeast quadrant which is going to be some severe impact.”

The Sept. 14 update from the National Hurricane Center reported Sally’s top sustained winds were at 90 mph and all of coastal Alabama was under a hurricane warning as well as a flash flood warning.

Orange Beach is shutting down trash, recycling and vegetation and other pickups until Friday, Sept. 18. Gulf Shores City Schools and Baldwin County Schools announced on Sept. 14 it is closing schools on Sept. 15-16 due to flooding and other concerns because of the coming storm and its effects.

The city is also prepping crews to respond as the impact of the storm grows.

“We are prepared,” Smith said. “We’ve got two sandbag locations that are operating now and people are taking advantage of that. We’ve got one behind of city hall here and we’ve got one at public works. We’re ready with our hurricane signs for flooded streets, signs for water over the road and those type things.”

City Administrator Ken Grimes said this storm could bring more water than a rain event that dropped 26 inches of rain along the coast in 24 hours six years ago.

“One of the things is this is potentially greater than the April flood event of 2014,” Grimes said. “Looking ahead we’re going to close nonessential facilities for the next two days. This thing is going to wrap as it makes its turn. With all the rain we’re still going to have the rain potential and if it comes around, we’ll still be in it. That leaves the potential of high winds and heavy rains. Police, fire, sewer operations, those are essential.”

Police Chief Steve Brown and Fire Chief Mike Kimmerling both urged residents to stay at home when the worst of the storm approaches. 

“Once we get to the storm itself everybody just needs to stay off the roads and stay home,” Grimes said. “The big reminder with rising tide, rising surf and rainfall of this magnitude is that though you may have a ditch, a pipe and a culvert when all this water has nowhere to go and this could actually last for several days. For public works they’ve been running tests to make sure things are working properly. We’ve prepositioned barricades and different roadblocks and things especially in the Bear Point area, Jubilee Point area where it’s already a foot over the bridge already. 

“The key at the end of the day is to urge people to stay off the roads.”