Alabama Orders Mandatory Evacuation of Parts of Coast

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley issued a mandatory evacuation order for some coastal parts of Mobile and Baldwin counties in response to Hurricane Gustav.

The evacuation order, effective at 7 a.m. on Aug. 31, covered areas south of Interstate 10 in the southernmost part of Mobile County and on the west side of Mobile Bay, east of Dauphin Island Parkway.

In Baldwin County, the evacuation order includes Fort Morgan Peninsula and Plash Island.

The order did not immediately include Orange Beach where thousands of tourists, including some Louisiana evacuees, have rooms. Tourism officials estimate some 40,000 visitors are on the Alabama coast for Labor Day.