Gov. Kay Ivey viewing the damage of Hurricane Sally during a flyover.
Gov. Kay Ivey visited parts of Alabama’s coast Friday to survey damage from Hurricane Sally, which struck the coast on Wednesday as a Category 2 storm.
“What I’ve seen this morning in the fly over – it’s really, really bad,” Ivey said. “I think that I only saw two piers that were still standing. The rest are just sticks in the water.”
Ivey visited Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Fort Morgan and Dauphin Island. She also met with local and state leaders.
Ivey says the priority right now is to get water, ice and food to affected areas. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is ready to deploy resources, but it’s up to local governments to decide which areas need it most, Ivey said.
As of Friday afternoon, more than 145,000 people on Alabama’s coast remain without power. Ivey said power crews are working to restore electricity, but residents have been told it could take weeks before they get power. Ivey said the number of downed trees has made it difficult for repair teams to access certain areas.
Sen. Doug Jones and U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne were among elected officials that also surveyed the aftermath of Sally on Friday.
“For Baldwin County, this storm was worse than Hurricane Ivan. Perhaps, as bad or worse than Hurricane Fredric,” Byrne said.
It’s time for the federal government to step in and help rebuild, Byrne said.
Mayor Randall Woodfin plans to pardon more than 15,000 Birmingham residents convicted of marijuana possession.
The plan is for Jefferson County to purchase lots one and two of the property, which would remain under county ownership. The Greater Birmingham Humane Society would purchase lot three and build an animal hospital and adoption control facility there.
Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, has been found guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Many rural health leaders believe community health centers, which were born in the 60s to reach low-income communities of color, were a missing piece in achieving equity in the vaccine rollout.
The five-member board will have the authority to investigate citizen complaints and will have some subpoena powers to aid those investigations.
Last week's overwhelming vote against forming a union at Amazon's Bessemer warehouse was the latest in a string of disappointments for labor unions. Now Amazon employees and union backers are trying to find a way forward.
