High-water rescues will be limited in low-lying areas once Sally hits Coast, officials say
Residents defying orders to evacuate low-lying areas of Hancock County are on an emergency list if they live in Waveland in case they need to be evacuated or disappear as Hurricane Sally moves ashore.
“We’ve got people out in the field now in low-lying areas and we are trying to get them out,” Waveland Police Chief Mike Teddy Prendergast said Monday. “We have a form that we fill out to know who is staying so we can got back after the storm to look for them. It’s a part of our storm plans.”
High-water rescue vehicles are on-site at fire departments throughout Hancock County and the surrounding Coast counties for the duration of the storm, but are limited in the number of people they can hold.
“Don’t mess around with this storm,” Bay St. Louis Deputy Chief Alvin Kingston said. “If the water gets too high, we might not be able to get to you.”
The storm is expected to maker landfall in Biloxi around 2 a.m. Wednesday as a strong Category 1 hurricane.
In fact, Duane Wray, fire chief at the Clermont Harbor Volunteer Fire Department, used high-water rescue vehicles to pick up employees stranded at Silver Slipper Casino during the height of Tropical Storm Cristobal in June. Rising waters were already covering the roads Monday morning.
Wray warns that rescues are not possible during the height of the storm and the the rescue vehicles can hold only up to 15 to 20 people at one time.
“We won’t be able to do anymore rescues once the winds reach 55 mph due to the potential dangers to our personnel,” Wray said. ”We already have mandatory evacuations in place. We are hoping people will heed the warning.”
Hancock County Sheriff Ricky Adam said the majority of people in flood-prone areas are leaving, but there are those that continue to defy evacuation orders.
“You can’t forcibly take people out,” Adam said. “We give the best advice we can and if they don’t heed the warning, then it is what is and at some point, they are on their own.
Residents who live along rivers, river inlets, bayous, creeks and in travel trailers, modular homes, mobile homes, homes under construction and or partially constructed homes should evacuate.
Mandatory evacuations are in place in the following areas in Hancock County:
- Shoreline Park (east and west side of Mississippi 603
- North Beach — Cedar Point
- South Beach Boulevard — Bay St. Louis & Waveland
- South side of Diamondhead
- Clermont Harbor, Lakeshore, Ansley/Heron B
- Shoreline Park (east and west side of Mississippi 603)
- North Beach — Cedar Point
- South Beach Boulevard — Bay St. Louis and Waveland
- South side of Diamondhead
- Clermont Harbor, Lakeshore, Ansley/Heron Bay, Pearlington, Harbor Drive, Chapman Road, Jourdan River Drive
In addition, the shelter on 18320 Mississippi 43 in Kiln is for Sally evacuees. Pets are not allowed in the shelter due to COVID-19.
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 12:30 PM.
