CBS News reported that nearly 10 million Americans along the Gulf Coast were warned as Hurricane Sally continued to make landfall just south of Alabama on September 15. The unpredictable storm dumped several hundred milligrams of rain from Louisiana to Florida.
Sally is hitting parts of the coast and could create a tornado on the morning of September 16. typhoon Sally has changed rapidly and rapidly in intensity over the past 24 hours. Forecasters say more surprises are possible.
As of the afternoon of September 15, the storm was about 128 km south of Mobile, Alabama, and about 144 km southwest of Pensacola, Florida. The storm is moving north with maximum sustained winds of 136 km/h.
The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for central Georgia from September 16 to 18 before Ms. Sally makes landfall on the Gulf Coast. Although the storm will not make landfall in Georgia, state officials are forecasting heavy rain, strong winds that will cause flooding and rising water, with some places experiencing rainfall of 400-900mm. Georgia residents are advised to monitor rising or rapidly changing water levels, including around rivers, streams and small canals.
Sally is expected to make landfall in Mississippi, which is likely to suffer damage, but it will continue to move inland as a tropical depression as it approaches Georgia.
Meanwhile, South Carolina environmental officials are calling on owners and reservoir operators across the state to prepare for heavy rainfall that could hit in the coming days as typhoon Sally made landfall.
The South Carolina Environmental Control and Health Care Agency ( human Environment) conducted a "pre-season assessment" of all dams on September 15.
When giving instructions, Jill Stewart, Director of DHEC's Dam Safety and Flood Water Licensing Department, said that dam operators need to notify downstream residents about flood discharge and clean up trash from spillways.
In 2015, more than 40 dams across the state failed in a terrible flood. The historic flood killed 19 people and caused about 2 billion USD in damage.
A year later, Hurricane Matthew damaged about 25 other dams.
After Matthew, South Carolina's environmental agency has asked the government to provide $5 million to reinforce or demolish damaged dams and inspect other dams. State lawmakers also gave the agency $3 million to increase dam safety.
The increase in storms during the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season could exhaust this year's list of hurricane names. Five tropical storms are active in the Atlantic Ocean at the same time, the second time in history since September 1971, according to the National Hurricane Center.
