By Alabama Public Radio
Alabama – Hurricane Ivan is about 530 miles southeast of Dauphin Island and expected to make landfall somewhere near the Alabama coast late Wednesday or early Thursday.
Governor Bob Riley has declared a state of emergency and asked coastal residents to evacuate voluntarily. Baldwin County schools are closed today, and some residents in Geneva County living in mobile homes and low lying areas are under a mandatory evacuation.
The approaching storm has also postponed runoff elections scheduled today in Gulf Shores, Foley, Bayou Le Batre, Dauphin Island, Spanish Fort, Loxley and Elberta. Runoff elections will be held elsewhere, including Demopolis, Northport, Hoover and Huntsville.