Hurricane Sally battered Florida and Alabama as it moved towards the Northern Gulf Coast today (September 16).

Footage shows strong wind and rain crashing into a sea-front hotel as the terrified tourist on ''vacation for a few days'' feared they could be ''stranded here with no running water''.

The national hurricane center warned that the storm could produce as much as 30 inches of rain that would possibly trigger 'life threatening flooding'. Officials warmed millions of residents to prepare for "historic" flooding in the next 12 hours.

Coastal areas reported extreme tropical storm surges and high tides with potentially devastating consequences. Hurricane Sally storm is expected to intensify on Wednesday morning as it reaches the Alabama and Florida border.

Officials said that on Tuesday night (September 15) the storm was around 65 miles south-southeast of Mobile, Alabama, and 60 miles southwest of Pensacola, Florida. It was reportedly moving north with sustained winds of up to 85 mph.