Baldwin County officials report flood damage assessment; highway worker praised for rescuing child

Baldwin County emergency management officials on Wednesday updated the commission on damage from a recent intense rain event and described steps under way to document losses and seek aid if thresholds are met. Commissioners also formally recognized a highway employee who entered floodwater to help rescue a child.

Tom Tyler, representing Baldwin County Emergency Management (EMA), told the commission that certain areas — including Daphne, Spanish Fort, Stapleton and Bay Minette — received between 9 and 13 inches of rain over a short period and that county teams are in the middle of a damage-assessment process. “We had 103 events, logged into the state's disaster documentation program called Orion,” Tyler said. He said county staff expect to complete their part of the assessment by the end of the week.

Tyler said the next step is a joint state-local assessment so the state can confirm local tallies; if a countywide threshold is met the county could request a presidential disaster declaration under the Stafford Act. He warned, however, that meeting a federal threshold is not guaranteed and depends on combined local and municipal totals. “I don't want to give anybody a false impression that federal aid is a definite,” he said.

County highway staff reported nine incidents logged by the highway department related to the storm; staff said all but one had temporary repairs completed and that one remaining site (on Cemetery Road) was expected to be finished later in the week. In his briefing, a highway presenter said the department’s “share” of storm-related work was roughly $500,000; the meeting audio contained an unclear numeric reading of that amount.

Highway staff also recognized Ian Hance, who supervises the asphalt patching crew in Area 200, after a colleague described Hance rushing into fast water to help a child who had been put on a small raft. Forrest Davis, Hance’s supervisor, described the scene: “Ian rushed into the water like it was like, he didn't have a second thought about it.” Davis said three small children had been on the raft; one child was nearly swept away until a bystander helped, and Hance grabbed another child who was clinging to an adult. Commissioners gave Hance a public round of applause and presented a short video of the rescue.

The EMA update and the highway department’s initial cost estimates are early figures, Tyler said; staff still must complete their internal documentation and coordinate with municipal partners before any formal federal-request decisions are made. Officials encouraged residents to prioritize personal readiness, to avoid driving through floodwater and to use local volunteer organizations for assistance with private-property damage.

The county did not take any formal action related to federal aid during the meeting; commissioners accepted the update and recognized Hance with a public commendation.