Ocean Springs, MS. - Gulf Islands National Seashore announces the Davis Bayou Area and Mississippi islands including, Horn, Petit Bois, and West Petit Bois islands, as well as the NPS-owned portion of Cat Island will close tomorrow, Wednesday, October 7 at 5:00 pm, in anticipation of intense winds, rough seas, and heavy rain that will impact these areas. A mandatory evacuation of the Davis Bayou Campground will occur Wednesday, October 7, with all campers expected to leave the area by 12:00 p.m. The severe weather is anticipated to cause flooding of roads and coastal areas. Current predications are for the park to be affected by the approaching storm.
The Davis Bayou Area and Mississippi islands will remain closed until further notice. Park staff will assess conditions once the weather passes and throughout the next few days and announce updates as appropriate.
On Saturday, Sept. 12, the National Park Service (NPS) closed all areas and islands of Gulf Islands National Seashore in advance of Hurricane Sally impacting the Gulf Coast. The Davis Bayou Area reopened to the public on Friday, September 18 and the Mississippi islands including, Horn, Petit Bois, and West Petit Bois islands, as well as the NPS-owned portion of Cat Island reopened to the public on Thursday, September 24. Due to observed damage on Ship Island, additional assessments and stabilization actions need to be taken before the island can resume operations.
About Gulf Islands National Seashore: Created in 1971, the national seashore stretches 160 miles along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida and Mississippi, and includes barrier islands, maritime forests, historic forts, bayous, and marine habitat. Visit us at www.nps.gov/guis, on Facebook www.facebook.com/GulfIslandsNPS, Twitter www.twitter.com/GulfIslands_NPS, and Instagram www.Instagram.com/GulfIslandsNPS.
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 421 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice and Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice.
-NPS-
Tags: press press release news news release gulf islands national seashore mississippi severe weather hurricane delta
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
