Storm Isaias Causes Life-Threatening Conditions in US Southeast, Widespread Outages

Storm Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, as a Category 3 hurricane with wind speeds reaching 165 km/h before being downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared it a life-threatening storm and urged residents not to venture onto roads.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey ordered the evacuation of tourists and visitors from coastal areas including the popular resort destinations Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Dauphin Island. States of emergency were declared in both Florida and Alabama.

Massive power outages struck hundreds of thousands of households across Florida, Alabama, and Georgia, according to the poweroutage.us portal. US oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico was temporarily severely curtailed, with personnel evacuated from numerous offshore platforms. The storm also forced President Trump to cancel his attendance at a football game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.