Slow-moving Sally, the hurricane with winds of 85 mph and 55 miles east of the Mississippi River, may cause concern for Biloxi residents for the next couple of days, says Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich.
“There’s no doubt that this storm is still a threat,” Gilich said today. “Projections have taken it from the west to east of us now. People need to be vigilant, and we need to be prepared for water to back up in our bays, rivers, and low-lying areas. Swollen rivers will be cresting as late as Thursday.”
This morning, the city closed several low-lying thoroughfares as high tide exacerbated already high water levels, though at this time far short of the 6 to 9 foot forecast storm surge. In fact, the latest from Emergency Manager Nick Geiser is a storm surge of about 5 feet in Biloxi.
The low-lying section of beachfront U.S. 90 at Miramar in West Biloxi was closed to eastbound traffic around noon today. Other low-lying areas have been closed as well: Popp’s Ferry Causeway Park north of the Bay of Biloxi, areas of Point Cadet near the tip of the Biloxi peninsula, and Back Bay Boulevard from Oak to Lee Street. More road closures are expected.
Biloxi remains under a storm surge warning, hurricane warning, flash flood watch and a river flood warning for all three major rivers.
“We’re asking people to limit travel,” Gilich said. “Please use common sense and heed the advice we’re giving you. We still have several hours to go before we get through this.
“This slow-moving storm could still take a turn to the east or west, so be mindful of that.”
The storm is expected to continue its slow movement, crawling northwest at 2 mph and expected to make landfall early Wednesday morning before moving out of the area.
See the latest on Sally
The latest on the rivers
Here’s the latest on rivers, from Harrison County Emergency Manager Rupert Lacy:
– The Biloxi is forecast to crest Wednesday afternoon or evening at 19 feet. Flood stage is 12 feet.
– The Tchoutacabouffa is forecast to crest Thursday morning at 18 feet. Flood stage is 8 feet.
– The Wolf river is forecast to crest Thursday morning at 15 feet. Flood stage is 8 feet.
Said Lacy: “These can change with higher rainfall totals and storm track changes.”
See real-time river status and projections
News & notes: Council replay, Biloxi live, B-Alert
Council replay: The Biloxi City Council declared a state of emergency and passed the FY ’21 municipal budget during a special-called meeting Monday morning. To see a replay of the 40-minute meeting, click here.
Views of Biloxi: The Biloxi Lighthouse cam, which provides a live feed of the Biloxi beach and U.S. 90, has growin in popularity during Hurricane Sally. An audience of more than 800 people was simulataneously viewing the image at this writing, and media from as far away as Germany have used the feed. To see the live feed yourself, click here.
B-Alert: Stay in the know about road closures, road re-openings, and other traffic advisories by signing up for B-Alert. It’s a real-time, on-the-go messaging system that brings advisories directly to your cell phone. Just text BILOXI to 888777. See previous messages by clicking here.
