Gordon Aims to Hit Gulf Coast as Hurricane after Nightfall

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) — Sandbags were filled, patio furniture was taken inside and shoppers stocked up on batteries and bottled water as people along the Gulf Coast prepared Tuesday for Tropical Storm Gordon, which was forecast to become the second hurricane to hit the region in less than a year. Just hours before the storm was expected to come ashore, a few people remained on the beach, soaking in the sun before the tropical rain bands became more numerous. Others did their familiar pre-storm preparation rituals, including the staff at The Hotel Whiskey in Pass Christian, which planned to stay open Tuesday night using sandbags to keep out water from the Gulf of Mexico, only a block away. "All the outside furniture has to come in, but honestly it's not even a freak-out kind of hurricane, so we're not super-stressed right now," Manager Ashley Peeples said around midday Tuesday. A hurricane warning was in effect for the entire Mississippi and Alabama coasts with predictions Gordon would become a Category 1 storm. The National Hurricane Center predicted a "life-threatening" storm surge of 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 meters) along parts of the central Gulf Coast. Flooding was also a risk. As much as 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain could fall in some parts of the Gulf states through late Thursday as the tropical weather moves inland toward Arkansas. By late Tuesday morning, the storm was centered 145 miles (235 kilometers) east-southeast of the mouth of the Miss...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Major Incidents News Source Type: news