GULF BREEZE, Florida — Hurricane Isaias crashed into the US Gulf Coast on Friday night as a dangerous Category 2 storm, lashing the Florida Panhandle and Alabama with damaging winds, heavy rain and life-threatening storm surge.
The first hurricane of the Atlantic season made landfall near Destin, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (169 kph), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. The storm weakened slightly just below major-hurricane status before coming ashore.
Widespread outages and flooding
More than 400,000 customers in Florida and Alabama were without power Friday evening, according to poweroutage.com, and the tally kept climbing through the night — the Associated Press reported more than half a million people without power as of Friday night.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis urged residents to stay off the roads, warning that flash flooding would remain a hazard throughout the region. Roads in Destin were flooded, while police in nearby Pensacola warned residents to stay indoors because of debris strewn across roadways. Residents posted pictures online of downed trees and power lines, and one video showed a roof being ripped off an inn in Pensacola. Parts of southern Alabama were also flooded, with officials in Mobile reporting downed trees and power lines.
Forecasters warned of a storm surge reaching 6 to 9 feet in vulnerable areas and said the storm could stir up tornadoes across the Florida Panhandle and into southern Georgia as it moved inland.
Federal emergency response
President Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for Florida and Alabama on October 9, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate federal assistance. The federal government will cover 75 percent of eligible costs for emergency protective measures.
Trump told reporters at the White House late Friday that the situation was being watched closely and was under control.
Some Panhandle counties temporarily suspended emergency response operations Friday night because of dangerous conditions, and an Emerald Coast utility issued a boil-water notice for parts of Florida.
Sources:
- Hurricane Isaias makes landfall, hammering US Gulf Coast with powerful winds and dangerous flooding — Associated Press via The Reflector
- Hurricane Isaias Leaves 530,000 Without Power in Florida — teleSUR English
The first hurricane of the Atlantic season made landfall near Destin, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (169 kph), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. The storm weakened slightly just below major-hurricane status before coming ashore.
Widespread outages and flooding
More than 400,000 customers in Florida and Alabama were without power Friday evening, according to poweroutage.com, and the tally kept climbing through the night — the Associated Press reported more than half a million people without power as of Friday night.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis urged residents to stay off the roads, warning that flash flooding would remain a hazard throughout the region. Roads in Destin were flooded, while police in nearby Pensacola warned residents to stay indoors because of debris strewn across roadways. Residents posted pictures online of downed trees and power lines, and one video showed a roof being ripped off an inn in Pensacola. Parts of southern Alabama were also flooded, with officials in Mobile reporting downed trees and power lines.
Forecasters warned of a storm surge reaching 6 to 9 feet in vulnerable areas and said the storm could stir up tornadoes across the Florida Panhandle and into southern Georgia as it moved inland.
Federal emergency response
President Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for Florida and Alabama on October 9, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate federal assistance. The federal government will cover 75 percent of eligible costs for emergency protective measures.
Trump told reporters at the White House late Friday that the situation was being watched closely and was under control.
Some Panhandle counties temporarily suspended emergency response operations Friday night because of dangerous conditions, and an Emerald Coast utility issued a boil-water notice for parts of Florida.
Sources:
- Hurricane Isaias makes landfall, hammering US Gulf Coast with powerful winds and dangerous flooding — Associated Press via The Reflector
- Hurricane Isaias Leaves 530,000 Without Power in Florida — teleSUR English
