Cleanup Continues After Hurricane Isaias Kills Four in Florida and Alabama

PENSACOLA, Fla., Oct. 12 — Residents along the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama cleared debris and assessed damage from Hurricane Isaias, which made landfall near Destin as a Category 2 storm late on 9 October and left at least four people dead.

Two deaths occurred in Escambia County, Florida, and two in Alabama, including one in Birmingham when a tree fell on a home. The storm peaked as a Category 3 with winds of 120 mph before weakening. It became post-tropical over Alabama on 10 October. Remnants produced heavy rain and flooding risks in western North Carolina, where some stations recorded more than nine inches in 24 hours. Rivers overflowed and water rescues were reported.

Power outages peaked above 900,000 customers across Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. By Sunday evening roughly 226,000 remained without electricity in the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama. In Conecuh County, Alabama, nearly all accounts were offline. Florida Power & Light expected most restoration in North Florida by Monday afternoon. Alabama Power crews worked around the clock where conditions allowed.

Wind gusts exceeded 114 mph in parts of the Panhandle. A hotel in Pensacola lost its roof. A boathouse in Destin was flattened. Part of a high-rise facade was ripped away in Panama City Beach. Milton High School's gym roof was torn open. A convenience store was reduced to rubble. Tornadoes were confirmed in Georgia, including one in Screven County.

Governor Ron DeSantis said the state remained in a hazardous situation and urged caution. About 16,000 utility linemen had been prepositioned. Highways and bridges reopened as the storm moved inland. The Federal Communications Commission reported one television station and four radio stations offline in the affected area.

On the West Coast, swells from former Tropical Storm Rachel battered Southern California. In Mexico, Hurricane Simon, a Category 3, pounded resorts and towns along the Pacific coast, remaining just offshore.

The dual systems illustrate the seasonal pattern of Atlantic and Pacific activity coinciding. Isaias's rapid inland weakening limited further wind damage, but the rainfall totals in the southern Appalachians raised flash-flood concerns through Monday. Local emergency managers in North Carolina continued monitoring river levels as the system dissipated.

Insurance assessments and federal disaster declarations are expected in the coming days. The human toll remained at four confirmed deaths as of Monday, with additional injuries reported among first responders. Power restoration timelines vary by county, with the most remote areas likely to wait longest.