Ida comes ashore

Storm brings rain, wind to the Coast; clear skies are in today’s forecast

By MELISSA M. SCALLAN - mmscallan@sunherald.com

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GULFPORT — Tropical storm–force winds and rain battered South Mississippi throughout Monday night but the bad weather is expected to move out by noon today, bringing clear skies and cooler weather.

Tropical Storm Ida was forecast to make landfall between Alabama and the Florida Panhandle early this morning, bringing winds of 50-60 mph and 1 to 3 inches of rain in some areas. Some places could get as much as 8 inches of rain.

Emergency managers in South Mississippi began preparations over the weekend when Ida was a hurricane and quickly revised them as the storm weakened. High wind shear and cooler Gulf waters made Ida lose strength early Monday, well before landfall.

Schools in Hancock and Jackson counties closed early Monday, and the Red Cross opened shelters Monday afternoon in Harrison and Jackson counties for people who live in low-lying areas and were fearful of high water and wind. Lagniappe Presbyterian Church in Bay St. Louis opened as a shelter. Most businesses remained open during normal hours Monday, including the casinos.

Skies were cloudy early Monday, and the winds picked up as the day wore on. By early afternoon the winds increased and rain began pelting the coastal counties.

Streets in low-lying areas of Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian began to flood late Monday afternoon.

Officials with the Mississippi Department of Transportation were monitoring wind conditions to determine if drawbridges needed to be closed to marine traffic. The Coast Guard requires that the bridges be closed if sustained winds reach 40 mph.

Speedy Rettig, area superintendent for MDOT, said late Monday afternoon the winds hadn’t reached that point yet.

“We’re so much on the edge of the storm that it could go either way,” he said, adding that the bridges wouldn’t be closed to vehicle traffic, just boats.

City and county officials throughout the Coast provided sandbags to residents who needed them as the storm surge was expected to be between 3 and 5 feet.

November storms are rare — the month has seen 62 hurricanes and tropical storms develop during the Atlantic hurricane season since 1870 — but state and local emergency officials reminded residents that they do occur, and everyone must be prepared.

“This shows that we can have a storm at any time,” said Rupert Lacy, emergency manager for Harrison County. “Until this thing makes landfall, we truly don’t know where it’s going.”