Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in Florida as Category 2 storm

Hurricane Isaias has made landfall near Destin, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph), according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Reuters reported on Friday. The storm is located about 50 miles (80 km) west-northwest of Panama City, Florida, the agency said in its latest advisory. The landfall comes as coastal communities across Florida's Panhandle and parts of Alabama prepare for damaging winds, flooding and a potentially life-threatening storm surge. Earlier forecasts warned that water levels could rise by 6 to 9 feet in vulnerable coastal areas. “Things are going to get really, really treacherous over the next couple hours,” Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, said earlier, according to the Associated Press (AP). Authorities have issued hurricane warnings from Ocean Springs in Mississippi to the western Florida Panhandle, while several counties have ordered mandatory evacuations. Mobile, Alabama, has also imposed a curfew as officials prepare for the storm's impact. More than 365,000 customers in Florida and Alabama were without electricity on Friday evening, according to poweroutage.com. Officials in Mobile reported fallen trees and power lines, while the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority issued a boil-water notice for some customers in Florida. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned residents to prepare for power outages, fuel shortages and the possible closure of bridges and highways. The state's National Guard deployed around 5,000 soldiers and airmen to support emergency operations, while search-and-rescue teams were placed on standby. Some prisons also evacuated inmates. Residents have been securing their homes and filling sandbags to limit potential flood damage. In Panama City, people braved heavy rain to protect their properties ahead of the storm. Anne Petzold, a resident of Gulf Breeze, said she and her husband had installed hurricane shutters and cleared their yard of objects that could become dangerous in high winds. “Everybody does what they can do, everybody asks if they need help — they ask for help, they offer help. All good,” she said. “It's just another adventure.” The NHC has forecast 4 to 8 inches of rainfall, with localised totals potentially reaching 15 inches in parts of the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southwestern Georgia. The storm is expected to weaken as it moves inland, but flooding and hazardous weather could continue across parts of the southeastern US.