Hurricane Isaias Kills Four and Leaves Hundreds of Thousands Without Power

Hurricane Isaias killed at least four people and left hundreds of thousands without electricity after it made landfall near Destin, Florida, late on Friday, 9 October 2026, as a Category 2 storm with sustained winds of about 105 mph. By Saturday it had weakened to a post-tropical cyclone while still producing damaging winds, heavy rain and a tornado risk farther inland.

Two deaths occurred in Florida’s Escambia County. One woman was killed when a tree fell on her house. A man died of carbon monoxide poisoning after running a generator inside a closed garage; four family members were hospitalised. In Alabama, one person died when a tree fell on a home in Birmingham and a second death was reported in Barbour County in a crash involving a downed tree. Governor Kay Ivey confirmed two Alabama fatalities.

Power outages peaked above one million customers and remained in the hundreds of thousands into Saturday evening across Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. Utility crews mobilised thousands of linemen. The storm ripped roofs from apartment buildings and hotels along the Florida Panhandle and flattened structures in Destin and Panama City Beach. Rainfall totals reached nearly 13 inches in parts of Alabama.

Isaias was the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season and the first US landfall in two years, following Hurricane Milton in October 2024. It formed on 6 October, reached Category 3 intensity with 120 mph winds and a central pressure of 958 millibars before weakening prior to landfall. Gulf of Mexico oil production was partially shut in. Predecessor rains had already caused flooding in parts of eastern Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center warned of continued flash-flood and tornado threats across the Southeast and into the Appalachians as the system moved northeast. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said no major search-and-rescue requests had been received immediately after landfall, but hazardous conditions persisted. Schools and roads were affected by debris and standing water.

The deaths from trees and a generator accident follow a familiar pattern in wind-driven storms: structural failure and improper use of backup power. The immediate task for utilities is restoring service to the remaining customers while flood watches remain in effect farther north. The storm’s relatively modest death toll compared with recent major hurricanes reflects both its weakening before landfall and the advance preparations along the Gulf Coast.