First Death Reported as Tropical Storm Gordon Makes Landfall

Tropical Storm Gordon made landfall near the Alabama-Mississippi border late Tuesday with 70 mph winds, just hours after the first storm-related death was reported in Florida. Authorities in Escambia County said a child was killed in Pensacola when the storm blew a tree over onto a mobile home. No further details were released on the victim. Still just below Category 1 hurricane strength, the storm knocked out power for more than 20,000 people along the coast in Alabama and triggered major flooding in Dauphin Island before it even arrived, prompting at least one water rescue. The National Hurricane Center has said Gordon will most likely weaken as it moves inland from the Gulf Coast, though authorities have warned of a potentially “life-threatening” storm surge of 3 to 5 feet in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama. States of emergency have been declared in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.