BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. — The northern Gulf Coast already is feeling the effects of Hurricane Sally, which is churning closer to land as a Category 1 storm.
Two large casino boats broke loose from a dock at an Alabama shipyard where they were undergoing renovations, according to The Associated Press.
According to Bayou La Batre Mayor Terry Downey, the boats broke loose around 10 a.m., WKRG reported. One of the vessels swung around and damaged two fishing piers, the television station reported.
Nobody was hurt, Downey said.
The area is already under a storm surge warning as Sally inches northward. The National Hurricane Center issued hurricane warnings from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, to Navarre, Florida, which includes the Alabama coast.
Hurricane #Sally continues gradually meandering its way to the gulf coast with sustained winds of 80mph, moving north at 2mph. Strong winds and heavy rainfall continue to overspread the region this evening. https://t.co/EIOcjeLoYk
— NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) September 15, 2020
The two boats were captured floating away in a video taken by M.J. Bosarge as water rose in front of his vehicle at the Bayou La Batre shipyard, WGNO reported.
“Ooh, it’s crushing the dock,” Bosarge can be heard in the video.
🚢 LOOSE RIVERBOATS! Two riverboat casinos (unoccupied) in Bayou La Batre have broken loose, and have ran into the docks. This is an ongoing situation. #Sally
— Jennifer Lambers ⛈ (@jnlamberswx) September 15, 2020
📸: MJ Bosarge pic.twitter.com/NqfcQFyAVV
“You really want to get them secured because with wind and rain like this, the water is constantly rising,” Bosarge told the AP. “They could end up anywhere. There’s no telling where they could end up.”
Cox Media Group
