Hurricane Isaias Leaves Hundreds of Thousands Without Power Across Southeast
The storm, which made landfall in Florida with 105 mph winds, caused widespread power outages and travel disruptions.
Hurricane Isaias slammed into the Florida Panhandle near Destin on Friday evening, bringing 105 mph winds and leaving more than 900,000 homes across the Southeast without power. The storm has since weakened to a post-tropical cyclone.
As a Category 2 hurricane, Isaias made landfall around 8:30 p.m. local time. While its winds decreased to 85 mph shortly after landfall, the storm continued to cause damage along the Gulf Coast. Roads in Destin were flooded, and authorities in Pensacola urged residents to stay off streets due to debris. Social media footage captured roofs being torn from buildings.
Some counties in the Florida Panhandle temporarily suspended emergency response operations due to the hazardous conditions. Parts of southern Alabama also experienced flooding, with reports of downed trees and power lines. Alabama Governor Ivey expressed concern about the potential for spin-off tornadoes.
Florida experienced the most significant power outages, with over 420,000 homes losing electricity. Alabama followed with more than 327,000 customers without power. Georgia reported over 125,000 outages, while smaller numbers were reported in California, Texas, South Carolina, and Washington, according to PowerOutage.us.
Travel plans were also disrupted nationwide, with hundreds of flights canceled. On Saturday, flight cancellations reached 84% at Eglin AFB/Destin-Ft Walton Beach and 80% at Pensacola International Airport. Other affected airports included Northwest Florida Beaches International, Nashville International, and Hartsfield-Jackson International.
