Hurricane Sally, a plodding but powerful storm with winds of 160km/h, is closing in on the U.S. Gulf Coast, threatening the southern states of Florida, Mississippi and Alabama.
Hurricane warnings stretched from Grand Isle, Louisiana, to Navarre, Florida, but forecasters – while stressing “significant” uncertainty — kept nudging the predicted track to the east.
That eased fears in New Orleans, which once was in the storm’s crosshairs. But it prompted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare an emergency in the Panhandle’s westernmost counties, which were being pummelled by rain from Sally’s outer bands early Tuesday. The threat of heavy rain and storm surge was exacerbated by the storm’s slow movement.
President Donald Trump issued emergency declarations for parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on Monday, and on Twitter urged residents to listen to state and local leaders.
