Ivey Extends AL's State Of Emergency Following Hurricane Isaias

MONTGOMERY, AL — Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday extended Alabama's state of emergency through Oct. 28 as communities across the state continue recovering from Hurricane Isaias.

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The supplemental proclamation, signed Oct. 14, extends the emergency declaration originally issued Oct. 7, when Isaias was still a tropical storm threatening Alabama and other portions of the Gulf Coast.

Under the new order, the state of emergency will remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Oct. 28, unless it is rescinded or modified by another proclamation.

Ivey cited the continued need for emergency measures to support recovery efforts in counties still dealing with the storm's aftermath.

"Hurricane Isaias impacted many communities throughout the State of Alabama, and continued emergency measures are necessary to support recovery efforts in counties where the effects of the storm persist," the proclamation states.

The extension also maintains the provisions of Ivey's original Oct. 7 emergency declaration and a supplemental proclamation issued Oct. 9.

The governor's latest order specifies that any conflicting provisions of state law are suspended for the duration of the emergency to the extent outlined in the proclamation.

The declaration was issued under the Alabama Emergency Management Act of 1955, which provides the governor with emergency powers to coordinate the state's response to disasters.

As Patch previously reported, Ivey's original declaration covered 40 counties across southern and central Alabama, including Tuscaloosa, Hale, Greene, Pickens, Perry and Marengo counties in west Alabama.

Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, on Friday, Oct. 9, as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. The storm had previously reached Category 3 strength before weakening as it approached the Gulf Coast.

The hurricane brought widespread power outages, heavy rainfall and strong winds to Alabama. By Saturday morning, more than 262,000 homes and businesses across the state were without electricity, including more than 2,100 in Tuscaloosa County, according to previous Patch reporting.

The latest proclamation does not identify additional counties or provide a new assessment of storm damage, but keeps the existing emergency measures in place for another two weeks as recovery efforts continue.

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