Hurricane Isaias, the first hurricane to land in the United States in two years, leaves nearly 730,000 households in Alabama and Florida without power

A coastal road in Englewood, Florida, near the Gulf of Mexico, was already flooded before Hurricane Isaias made landfall on the 9th. (Reuters)

As Category 2 Hurricane Isaias made landfall in Florida on the evening of the 9th local time and turned north through Alabama, hundreds of thousands of people were without power in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle (northwestern Florida) in the early morning of the 10th.

Although the power of "Isaias" dropped sharply after it made landfall, life-threatening storm surges are still possible in parts of the "Florida Panhandle", and various parts of the southeastern United States will also experience heavy rain and potential flooding this weekend. Forecasters also warned that the hurricane could trigger tornadoes, affecting parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and the North and South Carolinas.

"Isaias," which made landfall near Destin, Florida, was the first hurricane to hit the Eastern United States and make landfall on the continental United States since Hurricane Milton, which devastated Florida's Gulf Coast in 2024. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called on people at a press conference on the 9th not to go out when a hurricane hits.

Many roads in Destin were flooded, and in the nearby city of Pensacola, police warned to avoid driving on the road because of debris and debris scattered on the driveway. Although the extent of the damage was not yet clear, many local people posted photos of fallen trees and downed power lines on the Internet. There was also a video showing that the roof of a hotel in Pensacola was torn off by strong winds.

Parts of southern Alabama were also flooded, with officials in the state's city of Mobile reporting downed trees and downed power lines. Roads were closed due to similar conditions in Houston County in the southeastern part of the state. According to poweroutage.com, a website that compiles power outages, more than 726,000 customers in Florida and Arizona were without power early on the 10th.

A hotel in Pensacola, Florida, USA, lost power before Hurricane Isaias hit. People watched the violent storm outside in front of the hotel lobby. (Reuters)