Hurricane Isaias Leaves Four Dead and Hundreds of Thousands Without Power

Hurricane Isaias made landfall late on 9 October as a Category 2 storm near Destin in the Florida Panhandle. At least four people died, two in Florida and two in Alabama. By Monday morning more than 150,000 customers in Florida remained without power, and earlier peaks across the region had exceeded 700,000 outages.

Wind gusts reached 117 mph near Oriole Beach and 102 mph at Pensacola City Hall. A hotel roof was blown off in Pensacola, gas-station canopies collapsed, and trees crushed homes and businesses. Storm surge reached 5.6 feet in Panama City. In Milton, Florida, a tree fell through the ceiling of Phyllis Hennebery’s home while the 77-year-old was inside. She told CBS News she never expected to go through that at her age.

In Alabama, one person died in Birmingham when a tree hit a house. More than 300,000 customers lost power at one point. Rainfall totals topped 12 inches in Bellwood. The storm’s remnants produced tornadoes in Georgia and the Carolinas and flooding in western North Carolina. Pensacola International Airport sustained damage and closed temporarily. Emergency services suspended operations in several Florida communities because of dangerous conditions.

The storm formed as Tropical Depression Nine over the southwest Gulf on 6 October and intensified rapidly before landfall. It is the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season to hit the United States. Cleanup continues with Red Cross volunteers assessing damage and providing shelters and food. Florida Power & Light said most power should return by Monday afternoon or evening in all but a few outlying counties.

The combination of wind, surge and inland flooding matches the pattern of recent Gulf storms that cause widespread structural damage far from the immediate coastline. Tree falls accounted for at least two of the deaths. The power outages delayed recovery for residents whose homes were already compromised. Officials have not yet released a full damage estimate.