Isaias Leaves Nearly 400,000 Without Power in Florida and Alabama
The storm, which made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane, is moving north and threatening the Mid-Atlantic region with heavy rainfall.
Nearly 396,000 customers in the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama remained without power early Sunday as the remnants of Hurricane Isaias moved north.
The storm is expected to bring moderate to heavy rainfall across the central Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic region. The National Weather Service warned that the heavy rainfall could cause isolated flash flooding and strong wind gusts, potentially leading to scattered power outages and downed trees and power lines. Life-threatening surf and rip current conditions were anticipated to continue along the Gulf and southeastern Atlantic coasts.
At least four deaths have been linked to the storm. In Florida's Escambia County, a woman was killed when a tree fell on her home, and a man died from carbon monoxide fumes from a generator. Four of his family members were treated for the effects of the fumes and were expected to survive. In Alabama, one person died when a tree fell on a house in Birmingham, and another death was attributed to a motor vehicle crash involving a downed tree in Barbour County.
Isaias made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane on Friday near Destin, Florida. Despite warnings of storm surges, several major coastal routes were open by Saturday morning. However, hurricane-force winds in the Florida Panhandle blew the roof off a Pensacola hotel, and the city's airport sustained damage. A boathouse was flattened in Destin, and part of a high-rise facade was ripped away in Panama City Beach.
President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for Georgia, following similar declarations for Florida and Alabama, which allows for federal aid. The U.S. Energy Department also authorized emergency exchanges of crude oil from the nation's strategic petroleum reserve to address supply disruptions caused by the storm.
Meanwhile, in the Pacific, Hurricane Simon strengthened to 155 mph as it approached Mexico's coast, and Tropical Storm Rachel was expected to bring heavy winds and rain to northern Mexico and Southern California.