Isaias weakened from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone after making landfall on the Gulf coast of Florida on Saturday, bringing the risk of flooding to the southeastern United States. The storm tracked to the north with many areas without power and officials cautioned the public about the storm’s possible lingering hazards.
The PowerOutage.com tracker reports power outages affecting more than 800,000 Floridians, Alabamians and Georgians on Saturday morning.
After intensifying into a Category 2 hurricane late Friday, Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, with wind gusts of around 105 mph (165 kph). As the system moved inland, it weakened overnight, the National Hurricane Center said.
Authorities reported 2 deaths in the storm, both from trees falling on to homes. One death was reported in Pensacola, FL and the second was reported in Birmingham, AL.
Early reports in the Florida Panhandle pointed to the relatively low extent of visible damage in some coastal communities. Electricity crews were repairing damaged power lines and roads were largely free of snow. But, unusually, the coastal communities were quiet after orders were issued to evacuate in advance of the storm.
As the storm centre headed away from Florida though officials warned that the risk wasn’t gone. But Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the risk of flooding persisted past the exit of the system.
Emergency managers had been making preparations not to be caught off guard if the storm intensified before it came ashore, DeSantis said. The precautions were meant to make sure that resources would be on hand should conditions grow worse, he said.
Heavy rainfall, flooding and downed trees remained a danger in the storm’s wake in storm areas, as the storm’s weakening lowered the risk for even greater wind damages. The authorities were monitoring the situation in the wake of the storm with restoration efforts underway.
As the system propagated northeast, residents were reminded to adhere to local emergency procedures and be careful around roads, buildings and fallen power lines.