September 17, 2020 – Hurricane Sally made landfall near Gulf Shores as a Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday, September 16. Two people have been reported dead. Rivers in the Florida Panhandle and Alabama are rising as Hurricane Sally dumped 20-30 inches of rain in some areas. Nearly 600 search and rescue missions have been conducted in Northwestern Florida and hundreds of people have been rescued across Florida and Alabama. Pensacola Airport is closed and approximately 400,000 people are without power.
Heart to Heart International is supporting Point Washington Medical Clinic’s response efforts by providing the clinic medical supplies, medicine, hygiene kits, personal protective equipment and tetanus vaccines. Located in Santa Rosa, Florida, Point Washington Medical Clinic is an all-volunteer organization and was a key partner in HHI’s Hurricane Michael response in 2018. The mission of Point Washington Medical Clinic is to build a stronger and healthier community by providing high quality primary health care regardless of a patient’s means or access. Point Washington will use its mobile medical unit to provide free healthcare to those impacted by the storm in the Florida panhandle area.
Look back at HHI’s partnership with Point Washington during Hurricane Michael:
September 16, 2020 – Hurricane Sally made landfall as a Category 2 storm near Gulf Shores with sustained winds of 105 mph. It has weakened as it has moved inland, with winds at 80 mph. Moving at about 3 mph, Sally’s slow speed is causing widespread flooding, with some areas already receiving more than 24 inches of rain. Officials warn some areas could receive up to 35 inches of rain by storm’s end.
The National Weather Service office in Mobile declared a flash flood emergency for “severe threat to human life & catastrophic damage from a flash flood.” The warning zone covers parts of coastal Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, including Gulf Shores and Pensacola. Nearly 500,000 people are without power in Alabama and Florida alone.
Heart to Heart International’s disaster response team is monitoring the storm, has been in contact with partners in the area, and is prepared to respond as needs emerge.
