Hurricane Isaias Causes Widespread Damage Across Gulf Coast

On Saturday morning, a driver examined his overturned truck in a flooded parking lot in Tiger Point, Florida, near where Hurricane Isaias made landfall on Friday night. Emergency crews in Florida and Alabama assessed the destruction left by the Category 2 hurricane. The storm had brought 105 mph winds, causing significant damage and power outages.

NPR confirmed at least two storm-related deaths due to Isaias. In Escambia County, Florida, a person was found trapped under a tree at around 9 p.m. local time on Friday. Sgt. Melony Peterson of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office stated, “The victim was inside the home when the tree collapsed.” In Jefferson County, Alabama, a tree fell on a house causing a fatality, according to Jim Coker, Director of the county’s Emergency Management Agency.

As a result of the storm, around 780,000 people remained without power across Florida, Alabama, and Georgia as of 11:50 a.m. ET Saturday, as per Poweroutage.us. At the peak of the outages, the figure neared 900,000 customers. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis mentioned that certain counties, including Santa Rosa and Walton, had over 80% of residents without power. He noted that 16,000 utility workers were actively involved in restoring power and clearing roads.

Hurricane Isaias, after making landfall near Destin, Florida, around 8:30 p.m. local time Friday, saw its winds diminish to 35 mph by 5 a.m. Saturday. The storm, transitioning to a post-tropical cyclone, persisted in affecting regions far from the Gulf Coast. A broad band of thunderstorms extended into Georgia, and there were concerns about potential tornadoes.

Local authorities urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel while emergency crews worked to clear roads and restore power services. The southeastern U.S. continued to face high flooding risks as the weakened storm system moved north.