Southern Storm

Hurricane Sally made landfall near Pensacola, Florida, on September 16. It brought heavy rain. Winds reached 100 miles per hour. At press time, Sally was expected to move across Alabama and into Georgia.

The storm moved slowly. It crawled at about 2 mph. This caused severe flooding in Alabama and Florida. As much as 30 inches of rain was predicted in some areas before Sally moved on.

Flooding was made worse by a storm surge. This is a rise of seawater. Some places along the coast were braced for seawater between six and nine feet high.

Officials ordered residents in coastal cities to evacuate. Shelters were set up for people who left their homes. In Florida, the National Guard prepared for search-and-rescue operations.

Forecasters compared Sally to Hurricane Harvey. That storm was in 2017. It swamped Houston, Texas.

“Those on the Gulf Coast are all too familiar with Mother Nature’s wrath,” Alabama governor Kay Ivey told reporters. “Hurricane Sally is not to be taken for granted.”

Stop and Think! What information does the author provide in the lead, or first, paragraph? Why does she start with this information? Which facts does she save for later, and why?