Mobile Fire Rescue crews responded to more than 60 distress calls due to the torrential rain event Thursday afternoon, the department said in a post on Facebook.
Those water rescues occurred between 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., the post stated. In addition, MFRD said it’s personnel responded to “dozens” of motor vehicle crashes and two residential fires.
This was all during a storm that dumped between 3 to 9 inches of rain on parts of Mobile and led to flash flooding events all over Mobile County.
The National Weather Service’s Mobile office reported rainfall amounts gathered by both the public and NWS officials on its website. The intersection of Interstate 10 and Interstate 65 saw more than 7 inches, while Mobile Infirmary saw almost 7 inches. Medal of Honor Park saw just over 7 inches, while Tillman’s Corner received between 4 to 6 inches.
“Numerous showers and thunderstorms developed and continuously trained across Mobile county Alabama during the afternoon of Thursday, September 19,” according to information on the NWS website. “Torrential rainfall from the slow moving and training showers and storms resulted in significant rainfall amounts across central and southern portions of Mobile county.”
In addition to stranded motorists, the storms resulted in 20 different sanitary sewer overflows for the Mobile Area Water and Sewer Service (MAWSS), the utility reported. The overflows resulted in the release of an estimated 184,065 gallons of sewage.
Dr. Bernard Eichold II encouraged residents to take the necessary precautions when encountering standing water, due to the reported overflows.
“Those who have come into direct contact with untreated sewage are advised to wash their hands and clothing thoroughly,” he said in a statement from the Mobile County Health Department. “Area residents should take precautions when using Dog River, Three Mile Creek and Eslava Creek for recreational purposes because of the overflow. All seafood harvested in this general area should be thoroughly cooked before eating. People should wash hands after cleaning seafood and before preparing food.”
Mobile Police Department officials, along with MFRD personnel blocked off many area streets and roads to travelers, including Florida Street, which benefited from a number of drainage improvements.
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