Hurricane Dennis Information Center

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Residents & Business Owners of Gulf Shores may re-enter Pleasure Island Monday, July 11 at 6am with re-entry sticker. more

Bay County, FL curfew lifted, people may go back to their homes. more

Dennis going to make landfall in Pensacola Beach latest info on ABC 33/40 Weathertalk Blog

Alabama Power Update Birmingham - Alabama Power continues to prepare for Hurricane Dennis as it tracks toward the Alabama Gulf Coast. Alabama Power customers should also be preparing for this dangerous storm, and the possibility of extensive power outages. The sustained winds, heavy rains and storm surge associated with Dennis are likely to trigger widespread damage in the state, especially with the ground already saturated from showers that accompanied Tropical Storm Cindy. Downed trees and snapped power lines are expected across Alabama Power’s service territory affecting electric service for many customers. In some severely damaged areas, outages could last for two weeks or longer. Alabama Power crews will work as swiftly as possible, without compromising safety, to restore electric service. Alabama Power has already opened its Storm Center, where the company will direct restoration efforts. Storm Center personnel have received commitments from 3,500 workers from 17 states who are prepared to assist with storm restoration. Last year, many customers in South Florida were without power for three weeks following Hurricane Charley, a storm comparable to Dennis. It also took three weeks to restore power following Hurricane Frederic, which struck the Gulf Coast in 1979. Hurricane Ivan, which hit the Gulf Coast last September, left more than 825,000 Alabama Power customers. Although many customers had their lights back on within a few hours, or a couple of days, some customers did not have electricity restored for more than a week. Here are some important suggestions as customers prepare for Dennis, as well as some safety tips for during and after the storm: • Charge cell phones, pagers and other electronic devices before the storm hits. You may also want to wash clothes and dishes in advance of the storm. • Make sure you have batteries for flashlights and for portable radios, in case the power goes out. Be careful when using candles, which can pose a fire hazard. Never leave candles unattended. • Stock up on water and non-perishable food items that do not require cooking. • If your power does go off, make sure you turn off appliances to avoid any potential safety hazards when the power is restored. • Stay away from downed lines. Warn others to do the same. Beware of lines that are touching a vehicle. Stay away from the vehicle and the line. Do not drive over power lines lying on the road, and do not drive under low hanging lines. Keep children and pets away from downed lines. Always assume a downed power line is live. Do not attempt to remove tree limbs or anything else caught in power lines. Call Alabama Power at 800-245-2244 or a local law enforcement agency if downed lines are spotted. • Do not connect portable generators to your household electrical wiring. This can cause serious injury to you and to Alabama Power employees working on the lines in your neighborhood. Connect only essential appliances – such as freezers and refrigerators – directly to the generator. • If there is damage to your meter box or the pole on top of your meter box, you must first have an electrician make repairs before Alabama Power can restore your service. Also, if there is flooding in your home or business, Alabama Power may be unable to restore electric service until the building is inspected by city or county code officials. Customers who experience power outages can call the company’s Automated Outage Reporting System at 1-800-888-APCO (2726). It is the fastest way to report an outage.

Projected Dennis track shifts west The late-night update from the National Hurricane Center predicts a shift in Dennis' track to the west, which could spell even more trouble for the Alabama Gulf Coast. The most dangerous weather associated with a hurricane is in the northeastern quadrant of the storm. Locations in the immediate path or on the east side of the point a hurricane makes landfall will see significantly worse weather than areas on the western side of the strike point. But keep in mind on the map above that the center line is not the bonafide prediction - anywhere within the white cone has the potential for a direct strike.

Hurricane Dennis Emergency Numbers Alabama Power Hotline  1-800-888-2726 Hotel Information  1-800-ALABAMA Red Cross Shelters  1-866-GET-INFO Road Conditions  1-888-588-2848

I-65 lane reversal ends at 5 p.m. today The Interstate 65 lane reversal will end at 5 p.m. today (Saturday), according to the Alabama Department of Public Safety. After southbound lanes have been cleared of northbound traffic between Baldwin County and Montgomery, the southbound lanes will be reopened to southbound traffic. Southbound traffic is expected to resume by 8 p.m.

Something you don't see everyday..Wal-Mart in Foley, AL closed image

Public Safety reports slow going on highways more

Hurricane Warning Issued for central gulf coast more

Shelters open in Alabama more

Special Weather Statement for Inland Alabama read it here

Evacuation urged for half-million on Alabama coast (AL.com story) more

Traffic on I-65 will be reversed during daylight hours on Saturday to aid in evacuation of Alabama Gulf Coast.  more

Gov. Riley Issues Mandatory evacuation order for everyone south of I-10 in Baldwin County, AL and everyone in Mobile County more

A mandatory evacuation for residents living south of Highway 20 in Walton County, FL will begin at 4 pm Friday. more

As of 6:00pm this evening (Friday), Escambia County will be implementing evacuations in all low lying, coastal areas for a category 4 hurricane more

Bay County (Florida) Commissioners have declared as state of emergency and issued a mandatory evacuation for Hurricane Zone 1, 2, 3 and 4 beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday more

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NBC13 Feedroom - Live Coverage
ABC 33/40 Weather Segment 7-8-05 - Dial-up  Broadband
ABC 33/40 Hurricane Dennis Special: Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4
WPMI Mobile, AL Live Wall-to-Wall coverage here
WMBB News 13 Panama City Beach TV Coverage here
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