CLANTON – At the request of local emergency management officials, GovernorBob Riley on Sunday ordered the mandatory evacuation of residents of low lying and flood prone areas of southern Mobile County and Baldwin County due to the threat posed by Hurricane Gustav.

The evacuation order, which went into effect at 7 a.m. Sunday, applies to all residents of Mobile County in Hurricane Evacuation Zone 1, which is south of Interstate 10 and includes areas such as Fowl River, Coden and Bayou LaBatre, and all Baldwin County residents on Fort Morgan Peninsula, Plash Island, and areas south of Fort Morgan Road in the city of Gulf Shores.

The 3,000 Alabama National Guard troops the Governor activated earlier remain on alert, and the Alabama Department of Transportation continues to have staff propositioned along Interstate 65 and are ready to reverse lanes if and when that becomes necessary. Alabama State Troopers also remain deployed to assist the flow of evacuation.