Several dead and many without power due to storm “Isaias”

Four people were killed in the USA by Hurricane Isaias. According to official information from Florida and Alabama, hundreds of thousands are also without power.

The category two hurricane made landfall in Florida early Saturday and then weakened to a storm, authorities said. As of midday, around 670,000 households in Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi were still without power.

Danger to life due to flooding

“Isaias” made landfall in Florida on Friday with wind speeds of up to 165 kilometers per hour. As a precautionary measure, a state of emergency was declared in several states. The storm was initially classified as a hurricane, but weakened during the night. Nevertheless, according to the weather service, there is still a risk to life, including from flooding.

The storm is now covering large parts of the southeastern United States with heavy rain and extreme winds. According to the National Hurricane Center, impacts could be felt not only in Florida and Alabama, but also in the states of Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee, among others. Landslides and tornadoes are possible locally.

Impact on energy production

The first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season also had a major impact on American energy production. In the Gulf of Mexico, 69 percent of oil and 57 percent of natural gas production remained shut down on Saturday. According to authorities, 113 production platforms and thus 30 percent of the systems were still evacuated.

To compensate for delivery shortfalls, the US Department of Energy released up to four million barrels of crude oil from the strategic petroleum reserve. The energy companies Shell and Chevron, meanwhile, began sending staff back to their platforms in order to gradually ramp up production again.

Mexico is preparing for Hurricane Simon

In Mexico, people are currently preparing for the arrival of “Simon”. The hurricane, now classified as Category 4, is expected to remain strong and continue toward the west-central Pacific coast. This was announced by the Mexican Weather Service and the Navy Ministry.

The weather service predicts that the hurricane will approach within a good 30 kilometers of the Mexican west coast by Sunday evening (local time). Heavy rain, wind speeds in the center of the hurricane of up to 240 kilometers per hour and wave heights of six to eight meters are expected. According to the Navy Ministry, there is a risk of flooding, flooding and landslides in low-lying areas.