00:00People across the Gulf Coast are scrambling to prepare for this threat of storm surge, flooding.
00:05We've got damaging winds and tornadoes.
00:07Bill, if there was one place where I would say we're going to have high impacts in a populated area,
00:12Pensacola is likely it.
00:14So how are people getting ready there?
00:18Hey, Jeff. Yeah, the people here, they are taking this one seriously.
00:21This is one of eight sandbagging stations that have opened up across the Pensacola area.
00:25You can see some families pulling up with their trucks, SUVs, and cars.
00:29This is one of the spots where you have to bring your own shovel and your own sandbags,
00:33but people are filling them up to get ready for the storm.
00:36Officials reminding people, Jeff, that, again, these sandbags, they can work well when it comes to freshwater flooding,
00:42and we have the potential here for 8 to 12 inches or more of rain.
00:46But when it comes to storm surge, sandbags do not work all that well,
00:50especially when you're talking about the potential of 6 to 10 feet of storm surge or more.
00:55But, again, folks here know that a storm like this can dump a lot of rain quickly.
00:59Especially here on the northern side of Pensacola, where we are right now.
01:02And that's why they're here filling up with sandbags.
01:05And Pensacola, no stranger to storms.
01:07We've seen plenty of storms here over the years.
01:09So what kind of impacts are we most concerned about there?
01:15Yeah, this will not be their first time this season, right, Jeff?
01:18It was Tropical Storm Bertha earlier this year, where they felt some tropical impacts here.
01:24Not nearly to the extent of what we're expecting here over the next 72 hours.
01:29But, again, here, the folks, when I was here for Sally back in 2020, Hurricane Sally,
01:34that was really the last time we dealt with some serious direct hurricane impacts here in Pensacola.
01:39And we saw a lot of freshwater flooding, a lot of storm surge impacts, and wind damage as well.
01:45So I can tell you, I personally was here for Sally back in 2020.
01:48A lot of flooding.
01:50A lot of homes flooded.
01:51A lot of roads closed.
01:52So that's why when people got the warnings, of course, a lot of alerts going off on people's phones today.
01:58And when they saw the updates that these sandbagging stations were opening up today,
02:02first come, first serve, bring your own sandbags.
02:04That's why people are coming out here.
02:06So it's good to see people taking this seriously.
02:09But, again, Jeff, officials saying, especially with the storm surge potential closer to the coast,
02:14these sandbags can really only do so much.
02:17There are a lot of events happening.
02:19I have a friend who's on tour and had an event at Panama City Beach this Friday night.
02:23Not looking good there.
02:25Panama City, a little farther east, they're going to have a lot of impacts, even worse in Pensacola.
02:29So with all these events, are they canceling plans yet?
02:35Yeah, absolutely.
02:36Just within the past few hours, Jeff, those cancellations and changes for all the big events happening Friday and Saturday
02:42here along the Gulf Coast are coming in.
02:44There's a big shrimp festival down in Gulf Shores going on for several days.
02:48Unfortunately, they just pulled the plug on that.
02:50There's an Italiana festival here in Pensacola.
02:54That is being postponed until next month.
02:57We're also seeing the reports coming in of a lot of big high school football games.
03:01It would typically happen on a Friday evening, just a few hours before we're forecasting a landfall.
03:06A lot of those football games are already being proactively moved to Thursday night,
03:11and we're starting to see a number of public school districts here in the Pensacola area already shutting down on
03:16Friday.
03:17We know that there are some big college football games that could be impacted by this storm.
03:22Decisions on those not made just yet, but as expected, we're seeing a lot of those cancellations and postponements coming
03:28in today.
03:28And you can imagine that keeps the hotels busy.
03:32A lot of people trying to rebook hotels, flights, whether that means trying to get here a day early or
03:38just canceling the trip altogether.
03:39And then, again, that huge economic impact when you're talking about big events where they have to completely pull the
03:45plug.
03:45A lot of vendors investing a lot of money.
03:47So, unfortunately, this time of year, Jeff, people look forward to this time of year along the Gulf Coast.
03:52We have clouds here helping with the heat so it gets cooler.
03:55But, Jeff, we know this time of year we are still well in the heart of hurricane season,
03:59and that is the risk when you plan big outdoor events and festivals along the Gulf Coast.
04:04It's tough, Bill.
04:05I heard from a Facebook friend or a viewer on Facebook last night who's heading to an area two counties
04:10east of you on Thursday.
04:11Tough time for vacations there in the central Gulf Coast.
04:14Acting with a correspondent, Bill Waddell.
04:15Thanks so much for joining us, Bill.
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