Southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle were slammed by a severe storm, bringing death and destruction across the South.

Drivers on Interstate 10 at the Alabama-Florida state line were forced to abandon their vehicles and walk to safety after officials shut it down due to high water.

The flooding also kept fire rescue crews from being able to respond to calls for help in the  Pensacola area.

“It’s gotten to the point where we can’t send EMS and fire rescue crews out on some 911 calls  because they can’t get there,” Escambia County spokesman Bill Pearson said. “We’ve had people whose homes are flooding and they’ve had to climb up to the attic.”

Alabama was hit with 11.5 inches of rain overnight. Officials were calling people living south of Interstate 10 warning them not to travel.