Hurricane Isaias: Four dead and thousands without power in US Southeast
Storm damage stretches across Florida and Alabama as officials warn of continued flooding and possible tornadoes.
Hurricane Isaias, the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season, has killed at least four people and left hundreds of thousands of customers without power across the southeastern United States.
The storm made landfall near Destin, Florida, on Friday evening as a Category 2 hurricane before weakening as it moved inland through Alabama overnight.
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Two people died in Alabama, and two died in Florida. Local authorities said one death in Florida and one death in Alabama were caused by trees falling during the storm.
Isaias hit land with sustained winds of 169km/h (105mph), bringing powerful gusts and heavy rain to the Florida Panhandle. By Saturday morning, the storm had weakened to a post-tropical cyclone with wind speeds of about 55km/h (35mph).
Around 440,000 US customers were without electricity Saturday night along the storm’s path through Florida, Alabama and Georgia, according to the PowerOutage.com tracker.
Fallen trees and downed power lines caused widespread disruption, while flooding forced road closures in parts of southern Alabama, including Houston County. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said on Saturday morning that her team was concerned about “strong winds, heavy rain and possible spinoff tornadoes”.
Local officials in Pensacola, Florida reported strong winds that damaged an airport and tore the roof off a hotel. Trees and power lines also came down across the city, leaving some residents without electricity and roads blocked.
Despite the storm’s weakening, officials warned that dangerous conditions could persist. Heavy rainfall threatened flash flooding across parts of the Southeast.
“The flooding story is not over,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Saturday afternoon, warning that saturated ground and continued rainfall could cause dangerous flooding a day or two after the storm passed.
“Just be careful out there. Downed power lines, standing water, any of that can be very, very hazardous. Don’t run any generators inside your home or inside your garage,” he said.
He said state search and rescue resources would remain available in case rapidly rising waters required emergency rescues.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also warned residents to be alert for contractors seeking to exploit storm victims as homeowners begin repairing damaged properties.
The US Energy Department announced on Saturday that it will release up to four million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as an emergency exchange meant to address the disruption of supply caused by Hurricane Isaias.
“With this emergency exchange, the Energy Department is acting swiftly to help maintain refinery operations, limit disruptions to fuel supplies, and ensure American families and businesses continue to have access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy,” Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in a statement.
