Orange Beach, Ala. – (GSN) – When a hurricane approaches land the residents are typically given advance notice and evacuate. However, many local city first responders stay in the area for emergency operations. During Ivan, first responders didn’t know where to go. The staff at Gulf Shores used the local jail cells for rest and shelter. During Sally, exactly 16 years later on Sept. 16, the need was exposed again in Orange Beach.
Thanks to a FEMA grant finally coming through nearly six years post-Sally, Orange Beach first responders will soon have a safe place to go during catastrophic events for future hurricane seasons, with an eye on 2027.
“During Hurricane Ivan, I was not working for the city, yet the stories are told that police and fire they didn’t have a central location for all the first responders to be together,” Orange Beach Emergency Management Director Nicole Woerner said. “Everyone scattered. They went to people’s houses. I heard some people say they stayed in the jail here. We were all disjointed, and for recovery, that’s difficult.”…