DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. (WKRG) — Dauphin Island is making preparations as they keep their eyes on a disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico.
The island was hit hard last year by three storms: Tropical Storm Cristobal, Hurricanes Sally, and Zeta. and is still doing some cleaning up from those storms.
“We’ve just about gotten all of that behind us now. There are still some things that haven’t been done. Obviously we would like to see anything other than another possible storm heading our way,” said Jeff Collier, the mayor of Dauphin Island.
The West End Beach officially reopened last month after months of clean up from those storms.
But now, the town is preparing for a storm again, with a disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico, which could bring several inches of rain.
“We’ve already moved some things off the West End Beach, like some of the beach mats those types of things. We’ve already made contact with our contractor to potentially come in if the damages are such that we need assistance in moving sand or pumping out water. There are some things we’re already making arrangements for. We could get nothing, or we could get more than nothing,” said Collier.
Officials are asking visitors and residents to be aware, but they say there’s nothing to be alarmed about yet.
“We’ll have to monitor as the days go by hoping that things aren’t as potentially bad as they could be,” said Collier.
Visitors we spoke with say they are keeping a close eye on the forecast, but trying to enjoy their time at the beach for the time being.
“We won’t worry about it until it gets here, then we’ll see what happens,” said Keith Milstead, who is visiting from the Peoria, Illinois area. “We just want to have as best a good time as we can,” added Claudia Brown.
Dauphin Island has an app that posts important information like news bulletins and flag warnings. You can download the app on the Apple Store or Google Play.