PENSACOLA, Fla. – Hurricane Sally commanded the Gulf of Mexico to rise last month. Exposed sandy areas give species nesting space and eliminate hiding spots for beach predators like raccoons and feral cats. Altogether, she estimated that Sally impacted 10 areas she monitors for Audubon Florida – and said she hopes these transformed areas host nesting sites come spring. “We’re not seeing improvements.”One federally listed and at least four state-listed shorebird species frequent Panhandle shorelines, Stahala said. For every flattened dune that creates ideal shorebird nesting areas, it destroys another animal’s habitat.

Hurricane Sally left its mark on Florida when it slammed into the Gulf Coast this month. But perhaps the clearest visual evidence of Sally’s destructive force can be found at the easternmost point of Perdido Key, a barrier island situated southwest of Pensacola. Satellite images captured by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration before and after Sally’s arrival show the three holes the hurricane punched in the uninhabited stretch of the barrier island. He said it’s not unusual for storms to create the kind of overwash that results in breaches — Hurricane Sandy cut similar holes in Fire Island when it came ashore in 2012, breaches that have yet to be filled. He said it’s too early to say if the Perdido Key breaches will heal on their own.

The disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency covers all categories of public assistance for hard-hit Escambia County, including direct federal aid. Damage estimates from Hurricane Sally range from $2 billion to $10 billion. DeSantis' office on Wednesday activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program through the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. The Florida Division of Emergency Management is also conducting damage assessments that could ultimately lead to federal assistance for individual residences. If it’s bad enough, it grants individual assistance to help victims like Holly and Wayne recover.

JEA electric crews were in Foley, Alabama, Friday to assist with power restoration efforts following Hurricane Sally. In photos taken by JEA Linecrew Supervisor Matt Stafford, the damage appears to be extensive, with a gas station overhang ripped to shreds and multiple toppled trees dragging down power lines. A toppled tree drags down power lines in Foley, Alabama, after Hurricane Sally barreled through the region. (JEA Linecrew Supervisor, Matt Stafford)JEA said 26 crewmembers and three fleet support personnel are prepared to be in the Foley area for up to two weeks. “Everyone has welcomed us with open arms, not only the utility, but the customers in Foley,” Stafford said.

The supercharged Atlantic hurricane season has produced so many named storms that scientists ran out of traditional names as Tropical Storm Wilfred developed in the eastern Atlantic. Two hours after Wilfred took shape, the National Hurricane Center moved to the Greek alphabet when Subtropical Storm Alpha formed just off the coast of Portugal. The same practice will govern storm names for the rest of hurricane season, which lasts until the end of November. The only other time the hurricane center dipped into the Greek alphabet was the deadly 2005 hurricane season, which included Hurricane Katrina's strike on New Orleans. With the dunes that provide some protection to the island gone, Thomas said people will be nervous for the rest of the storm season.

Elaine and Jack Hulgan pose for a portrait after riding out the hurricane in their attic, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Cantonment, Fla. Rivers swollen by Hurricane Sally's rains threatened more misery for parts of the Florida Panhandle and south Alabama on Thursday, as the storm's remnants continued to dump heavy rains inland that spread the threat of flooding to Georgia and the Carolinas. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)CANTONMENT, Fla. – The firetrucks and rescue vehicles kept passing her house even after Elaine Hulgan, 76, wrote “IN ATTIC HELP” on the front door. The Florida couple was trapped in their home after Hurricane Sally lumbered ashore Wednesday morning near Gulf Shores, Alabama, with 105 mph (165 kph) winds. “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” Elaine Hulgan said. “When they kept going by and not seeing us, I told Jack, ‘Jack, are the four of us going to die in this house?’” Elaine said. Elaine Hulgan said they’re not sure where they might live while their home is being repaired, but they’re also thankful to be alive.

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)PENSACOLA, Fla. – Rescuers on the Gulf Coast used boats and high-water vehicles Thursday to reach people cut off by floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally, even as a second round of flooding took shape along rivers and creeks swollen by the storm’s heavy rains. Crews carried out at least 400 rescues in Escambia County, Florida, by such means as high-water vehicles, boats and water scooters, authorities said. Also on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said a new tropical depression formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters said the depression could become a tropical storm as it moves slowly over the western Gulf during the next few days. Meanwhile, Hurricane Teddy strengthened to a powerful Category 4 storm in the Atlantic.

___MIAMI — A new tropical depression has formed in the Gulf just hours after Hurricane Sally left. There was no threat to land as of Thursday night, but the center says the depression could become a tropical storm on Friday. ___PENSACOLA, Fla. — Although once-powerful Hurricane Sally is no longer a serious storm, flooding is still a problem along rivers and creeks swollen by its heavy rains. ___PENSACOLA, Fla. — Rescuers on the Gulf Coast are using high-water vehicles to reach people cut off by floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally. ___MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Though Hurricane Sally has passed, officials in Alabama and Florida are warning that the disaster isn't over yet.

– As rain and wind from Sally starting reaching the Gulf Coast, the manager of a Mississippi alligator ranch was just hoping he wouldn’t have to deal with a repeat of what happened during Hurricane Katrina. That’s when about 250 alligators escaped their enclosures as storm surge pushed water over the grounds. “I’m thinking a sigh of relief somewhat,” said manager Tim Parker, who took over Gulf Coast Gator Ranch & Tours after Katrina. As the hurricane moved east of Mississippi, the surge forecast was reduced to no more than 4 feet (1.2 meters). Parker’s farm has alligators up to 14 feet long, roaming and swimming through ponds, sand dunes and tall marsh grass.

Ron DeSantis is scheduled to hold a news conference at 5 p.m. from the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee. (When he’s speaking live, you’ll be able to watch by clicking the link below.) Authorities in Pensacola say 200 National Guard members will be arriving Thursday in response to Hurricane Sally, which hit the Gulf Coast with wind and drenching rains that have caused flooding. At a Wednesday afternoon news conference, Escambia County authorities announced a dusk to dawn curfew for the next three days. Sally lumbered ashore Wednesday morning near the Florida-Alabama line as Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph (165 kph) winds and rain measured in feet, not inches.

Hurricane Sally made landfall near the Florida-Alabama state line as a Category 2 storm in the early morning hours Wednesday, bringing storm surge and torrential rain. Waves break ashore near the Gulf State Park pier as the outer bands of Hurricane Sally come ashore on Sept. 15 in Gulf Shores, Alabama. (2020 Getty Images)A driver navigates along a flooded road as the outer bands of Hurricane Sally come ashore on Sept. 15, 2020 in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. (2020 Getty Images)Water floods a road as the outer bands of Hurricane Sally come ashore on Sept. 15 in Gulf Shores, Alabama. (2020 Getty Images)A man walks though a flooded parking lot as the outer bands of Hurricane Sally come ashore on Sept. 15 in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More than two dozen JEA crew members are heading to Escambia County on Wednesday morning to help as Hurricane Sally pummels the area. It’s the third time JEA crew members have been called to help those in other counties this hurricane season, most recently they went to help Gulf Coast communities impacted by Hurricane Laura. In all, JEA is sending 30 crew members, vehicles and 12 six-inch water pumps to assist in the mission. While JEA has long worked to help Northeast Florida and other communities after storms, taking on a mission during COVID-19 is still a relatively new experience. JEA says safety procedures are still in place.

A curfew was called in the coastal Alabama city of Gulf Shores due to life-threatening conditions. The county includes Pensacola, one of the largest cities on the Gulf Coast. Landfall was expected on the northern Gulf Coast early Wednesday. Although the hurricane had the Alabama and Florida coasts in its sights Wednesday, its effects were felt all along the northern Gulf Coast. With Hurricane Sally expected to dump rain for days, the problem could be worse than normal, she said.

People play in a flooded parking lot at Navarre Beach, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, in Pensacola Beach, Fla. Hurricane Sally is crawling toward the northern Gulf Coast at just 2 mph, a pace that's enabling the storm to gather huge amounts of water to eventually dump on land. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)Here are the latest developments on tropical weather (all times local):PENSACOLA, Fla. — Sally has restrengthened into a powerful Category 2 hurricane as it veers eastward and crawls toward a potential landfall between the Florida Panhandle and Mobile Bay. The National Hurricane Center said early Wednesday that the storm's sustained winds had increased to 100 mph (161 kph). The latest forecast track has the hurricane making landfall later Wednesday morning. About 1 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Sally was centered about 65 miles (105 kilometers) southeast of Mobile, Alabama, and 60 miles (95 kilometers) southwest of Pensacola, Florida.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dozens of search and rescue members of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department left Tuesday to head west to help with storm efforts. JFRD Chief Keith Powers said he got the official call Monday night that crews needed to be ready to deploy Tuesday morning. He said 41 men and women volunteered at the drop of the hat to deploy to assist after Hurricane Sally passes. This is the first storm of the season that JFRD has responded to in order to help. Keep this crew in your thoughts and prayers as they left their families today to help with the inevitable devastation Hurricane Sally will leave.... be careful out there!

Rounds of on and off showers and thunderstorms will continue for the next several days between the influence of tropical moisture from Sally and the focal point of the cold front. Today: Cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms spreading inland through the day. Afternoon highs in the 80s inland and along our beaches. Highs in the 80s inland and along our beaches. Wind SE 10-15 mph.

Waters from the Guld of Mexico poor onto a local road, Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, in Waveland, Miss. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbrt)Here are the latest developments on tropical weather (all times local):___The Florida Panhandle is being pummeled by heavy rains from Hurricane Sally’s outer bands. The powerful, plodding storm was crawling toward the northern Gulf Coast at 3 mph (4.8 kph) early Tuesday. Florida’s governor declared an emergency in two western Panhandle counties. President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Hurricane Sally is expected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast sometime through the night and morning. – Hurricane Sally, a plodding but powerful storm with winds of 100 mph, crept toward the northern Gulf Coast early Tuesday, with forecasters warning of potentially deadly storm surges, flash floods spurred by up to 2 feet (.61 meters) of rain and the possibility of tornadoes. Claunch marveled at how the Gulf waters had already crept over swaths of sandy shore and infiltrated bike paths and parking lots. Sally achieved hurricane strength Monday and quickly intensified to a Category 2 storm with 100 mph (161 kph) winds. Forecasters expect winds to increase to up to 110 mph (177 kph) over the warm Gulf waters before the storm blows ashore.

With a population of 400,000 people, it is among the largest metro areas along the Gulf Coast between New Orleans and Tampa, Florida. All along the storm-weary Gulf Coast, residents rushed to buy bottled water and other supplies ahead of the hurricane, which powered up to a Category 2 in the afternoon. Sally was about 135 miles (217 kilometers) south of Biloxi, Mississippi, on Monday night, moving at 6 mph (9 kph). More than 2,000 evacuees from Hurricane Laura remain sheltered in Louisiana, most of them in New Orleans-area hotels, Gov. The extraordinarily busy hurricane season — like the catastrophic wildfire season on the West Coast — has focused attention on the role of climate change.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – With storm warnings issued that include Florida’s Panhandle, the Atlantic storm season is a Wilfred away from going Greek. Hurricane Sally was threatening the Gulf Coast on Monday, with a hurricane warning in effect from Morgan City, Louisiana, to Navarre, Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center. A tropical storm warning was in effect from Navarre in Santa Rosa County to Indian Pass in Gulf County. Meanwhile, the hurricane center on Monday was tracking four other named storms in the Atlantic Ocean — Paulette, Rene, Teddy and Vicky. That has only occurred once before, in 2005, when there were 27 named storms.

This satellite photo provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Sally, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, at 2050 GMT. Sally churned northward on Sunday, poised to turn into a hurricane and send a life-threatening storm surge along the northern Gulf of Mexico. (NOAA via AP)Here are the latest developments on tropical weather (all times local):4 p.m.A rapidly intensifying Hurricane Sally is closing in on the northern Gulf Coast Sally after reaching Category 2 strength. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Sally has grown into an extremely dangerous hurricane with top sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph). The storm could drop as much as 2 feet (0.6 meters) of rain in spots and that could bring severe flooding, according to the center.