Sally packs punch to Orange Beach, Gulf Shores with unexpected levels of damage
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Orange Beach, AL. (WALA) — Boats line the highway in Orange Beach, while waters fill the streets in Gulf Shores just 24 hours after Sally made landfall on Baldwin beaches.
Its something locals have been through before.
The only difference, this level of destruction left many blindsided.
The water I expected, the wind, no one expected the amount of wind we got. The wind did a lot of damage, a lot of damage that a minimum hurricane would not have done,” said Orange Beach Marina Harbor Master Jimmy Beason.
Beason has weathered his fair share of storms.
He was out first thing Thursday morning surveying damage.
What he saw brought him back 16 years ago nearly to the day.
“About a foot less than Ivan as far as tide, and that’s an unbelievable amount, as big a storm as Ivan was. Approximately one more foot of tide than with Ivan is all that’s between this one,” said Beason.
On the other side of the island in Gulf Shores, locals and even some tourists returned, but some were stopped short of their destination.
“We thought we’d try to get back down to see how close we could get and we were able to get in, but I’m afraid we’re not able to get back,” said Tim Clifford, who is visiting the area from Indiana.
Orange Beach and Gulf Shores Tourism asking visitors to stay home for the next ten days before returning to our white sand beaches.
Officials say it will take much longer than that, though, to get back to normal.
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