Update on Hurricane Ida & the Alabama Gulf Coast

As Hurricane Ida moves out of our area, those on the Gulf Coast are left with the same safety questions we always have after a hurricane: Who has power? Who has gas? Which roads are closed? Is there anyone who needs help?

Follow along as we do our best to answer all of your post-hurricane questions and concerns.

Current Weather Situation

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At the time of writing, 12:45 p.m., Monday, August 30, the following weather alerts are still active in coastal Alabama. We’ve also included their expiration dates in CDT. For tips on dealing with severe weather conditions, check out this article from yesterday.

• Hurricane Local Statement across Southwest Alabama: will be updated at 5 p.m. tonight unless conditions change

• Tropical Storm Warning

• Tornado Watch: until 4:00 p.m. today

• Flash Flood Watch: until tomorrow, August 31st, at noon.

• Flash Flood Warning: until 4:30 p.m. today

• Flood Warning: through Friday as storm conditions wind down.

• Storm Surge Warning

Mobile & Coastal Alabama Conditions

August 28th, Gov. Kay Ivey issued a State of Emergency regarding Hurricane Ida. Among items like authorizing the National Guard in case of extreme circumstance, a State of Emergency also prohibits price gouging during emergency situations.

We sat down with the Spokesperson of AAA Alabama, Clay Ingram, to get answers to our questions regarding Hurricane Ida and safety conditions on the roads.

Can you explain what the State of emergency means in regard to gas prices & road safety?

Ingram: “The price gouging law comes into effect during a state of emergency. And what that means is that you can’t charge more than 25% more for any item or service than its cost in the past 6 months. We don’t typically have much of a problem with it, but occasionally we do.”

When is it safe to leave my house or evacuation area?

Ingram: “The best advice is not to go into affected areas if you don’t have to because there’s still a lot of damage. There’s still power lines down, there’s still trees and structures blocking roadways, and any extra traffic through there makes the problem worse for everybody. If you don’t absolutely need to go through these areas, don’t.”

Are gas prices going to spike? How bad will it be?

Ingram: “Make sure you download the AAA Mobile App, it can help you find the cheapest gas prices. It’s one of our free public service programs, so it doesn’t cost a thing, you don’t have to be a member. It’s just a quick and easy way to save some money while you’re buying gas. It’s early to tell, but I don’t expect prices to go up very much across Alabama–maybe 5, 10 cents a gallon.”

If you’re looking for somewhere to donate money to help hurricane relief efforts, check out this article by Bama Buzz’s own Pat Byington.

We will stay up-to-date on relief efforts for Hurricane Ida and hope you all stay safe and dry.