FOLEY – While Hurricane Francine is expected to pass to the west of Foley and the Mobile Bay region, city officials are preparing for possible impacts from the storm.
Francine is predicted to come ashore in central Louisiana on Wednesday. The storm is forecast to have winds of about 90 miles an hour by the time it makes landfall. The National Hurricane Center has placed Baldwin County under a tropical storm warning. The coastal area of the county is also under a storm surge watch.
Foley city offices that provide non-emergency services will close at 3 p.m. on Wednesday. Agencies providing emergency services, such as police and fire, will remain open.
Residents needing a safe location during the storm can go to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday. The “Safer Place” location will provide a place for people to go, but is not a shelter. Anyone coming to the site must bring all toiletries, bedding, food, water, and medication.
The church is located at 506 N. Pine St. in Foley.
Residents and other property owners are advised to continue to monitor the storm and be prepared to take action if Francine’s path changes. Before conditions deteriorate, residents should also secure loose materials outside that could be picked up by strong winds.
In Foley, residential garbage collection was scheduled to continue as long as the Baldwin County Magnolia Landfill is open. The city will notify residents if the facility closes.
Commercial garbage will be collected Wednesday. The Public Works Department will monitor conditions and determine if collections will take place Thursday.
Sand, bags and shovels will be available at the Foley Public Works Department from daylight until 6 p.m. for any residents who want to fill sandbags to protect their property.
David Wilson, Foley director of public safety, warned that during or after a storm people should not go out to look at damage in neighborhoods. Sightseers can interfere with efforts to clear roads and repair damage.
“This is the worst thing that you can do for safety reasons,” Wilson said. “It also interferes with and makes the police officers’ jobs harder. There are sometimes downed live power lines that you might drive over. There is dangerous debris and flooded areas that you don’t need to drive through. It’s just not safe to do that.”
Wilson said some people can also be out looking for opportunities to break into homes after evacuations. Police are also looking for potential looters.
“So if you’re out joy riding, you might very well get stopped for suspicious circumstances. I would just like to encourage everyone to stay at home and not get out and see what the damage looks like,” Wilson said.
“Please us help us by cooperating in this area,” he added.