Downpours, violent winds, uprooted trees… The first images of Hurricane Isaias in Florida

Powerful gusts of wind bent the palm trees of Florida and torrential rains fell on this state in the southeastern United States this Saturday, October 10 when Hurricane Isaias made landfall in the town of Destin. It then weakened to become a post-tropical cyclone, after quickly losing speed, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest bulletin.

This post-tropical cyclone is currently moving across southern Alabama with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph, the agency added. Isaias is expected to continue to weaken but is still expected to bring gusty winds far inland before falling below the storm strength threshold later on Saturday, the NHC said.

Florida emergency services urged residents to stay home and monitor the hurricane situation in the northern part of the state. According to PowerOutage.us, a company that specializes in tracking power outages, more than 430,000 people in Florida and nearly 297,000 in Alabama were without power when the storm made landfall.

States of emergency in Florida and Alabama

The Alabama Emergency Management Agency said the hurricane downed trees and power lines, making traffic dangerous in Houston County, which is under a flash flood warning. “Due to the effects of Hurricane Isaias, all roads in Houston County are closed until further notice,” she posted on X.

“State of emergency declarations have been approved in Florida and Alabama to ensure federal resources are available to deal with Isaias,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on X.

The NHC warned of possible storm surge, urban and river flooding, and flash flooding throughout the region, with significant impacts expected across much of southern Alabama and the Panhandle, the area in northwest Florida, to southwest Georgia.