Hurricane Isaias leaves two dead and 800,000 without power in US Southeast

Storm harm stretches crossed Florida and Alabama arsenic officials pass of continued flooding and imaginable tornadoes.

Hurricane Isaias, the archetypal hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season, has killed 2 radical and near hundreds of thousands of customers without powerfulness crossed the southeastern United States.

The tempest made landfall adjacent Destin, Florida, connected Friday evening arsenic a Category 2 hurricane earlier weakening arsenic it moved inland done Alabama overnight.

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One idiosyncratic died successful Birmingham, Alabama, erstwhile a histrion fell connected a location overnight, according to section exigency officials. A 2nd idiosyncratic was killed successful Escambia County, Florida, aft a histrion fell during the storm, according to section authorities.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said connected Saturday that authorities officials had not confirmed immoderate storm-related fatalities, including the study from Escambia County.

Isaias deed onshore with sustained winds of 169km/h (105mph), bringing almighty gusts and dense rainfall to the Florida Panhandle. By Saturday morning, the tempest had weakened to a post-tropical cyclone with upwind speeds of astir 55km/h (35mph).

Relaxing successful a edifice lobby successful Pensacola, Florida during a powerfulness outage up of the accomplishment of Hurricane Isaias, October 9, 2026 [Marco Bello/Reuters]

More than 900,000 energy customers successful Florida, Alabama and Georgia were without powerfulness aboriginal Saturday morning. That fig has since gone down to nether 800,000, according to PowerOutage.us.

Fallen trees and downed powerfulness lines caused wide disruption, portion flooding forced roadworthy closures successful parts of confederate Alabama, including Houston County. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said connected Saturday greeting that her squad was acrophobic astir “strong winds, dense rainfall and imaginable spinoff tornadoes”.

Local officials successful Pensacola, Florida reported beardown winds that damaged an airdrome and tore the extortion disconnected a hotel. Trees and powerfulness lines besides came down crossed the city, leaving immoderate residents without energy and roads blocked.

Wind, rain, and flying debris arsenic seen from a edifice lobby successful Pensacola, Florida connected Friday earlier the hurricane deed [Marco Bello/Reuters]

Despite the storm’s weakening, officials warned that unsafe conditions could persist. Heavy rainfall threatened flash flooding crossed parts of the Southeast.

“The flooding communicative is not over,” DeSantis said connected Saturday, informing that saturated crushed and continued rainfall could origin unsafe flooding a time oregon 2 aft the tempest passed. He said authorities hunt and rescue resources would stay disposable successful lawsuit rapidly rising waters required exigency rescues.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier besides warned residents to beryllium alert for contractors seeking to exploit tempest victims arsenic homeowners statesman repairing damaged properties.

Florida Power & Light idiosyncratic Yosvany Quintero clears downed histrion branches connected Saturday [Octavio Jones/AP]