10 things you need to know today: September 17, 2020

Hurricane Sally causes flooding in Alabama and Florida, Trump calls for Republicans to back more COVID-19 relief spending, and more 

A man in Florida in Hurricane Sally flooding
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1. Hurricane Sally causes historic flooding in Alabama, Florida

Hurricane Sally caused what the National Hurricane Center described as "historic and catastrophic flooding" in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday, threatening to drench some areas with 35 inches of rain. Sally pushed slowly ashore at 3 miles per hour in the morning with top sustained winds of 105 mph, making it a Category 2 hurricane. The storm sank boats, peeled roofs off houses, and knocked out power to more than 540,000 homes and businesses. Sally ripped loose a construction crane on a barge, sending it bashing into the new Three Mile Bridge over Pensacola Bay, destroying a section of the year-old span. Sally quickly weakened and was downgraded to a tropical storm by the afternoon. At least 377 people were rescued from flooded areas, including a family of four found in a tree. Sally moved northeast heading into Georgia and toward the Carolinas.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.