After what had been an eerily quiet Atlantic hurricane season, Isaias unleashed havoc and chaos across the Gulf Coast after making landfall near Destin, Florida, around 8:30 p.m. CDT Friday. At least four people have been killed, many more injured, and more than 650,000 customers are without power.
Meanwhile, in the Pacific, a hyperactive hurricane season has dealt blow after blow to coastal communities from Baja California up to Southern California. Rachel’s swell and flooding pummeled the Southern California coast, especially Orange County, this weekend, and now Hurricane Simon, a Category 4 storm with winds near 155 mph, is bearing down on Mexico’s Pacific coast near Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta.
Isaias came ashore as a Category 2 hurricane with 105-mph sustained winds, after churning up waves of 30 feet or more offshore. A station near Santa Rosa Sound recorded a 116-mph gust, and a NOAA gauge at Panama City Beach measured water 5.6 feet above mean higher high water. Our earlier coverage has video of the surf and surge.
By early Saturday, the storm had weakened to a post-tropical cyclone over Alabama, but the damage was done. Officials have reported deaths in both Florida and Alabama, including from falling trees. Roads flooded in Destin, trees and power lines came down across the region, and some emergency crews temporarily stopped responding because conditions were too dangerous. Outages climbed above 800,000 customers at one point, and utility crews are working to restore service. NOAA continues to warn of flash flooding, while heavy rain and tornadoes remain possible across parts of the Southeast.
How to help
Florida’s volunteer agency recommends sending money to organizations already working on the ground rather than donating goods.
- The American Red Cross is staging cots, blankets, comfort kits, and meals across the region. Donate at redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767), or text REDCROSS to 90999.
- If you’re outside the impacted area, you can give blood at RedCrossBlood.org or through the Red Cross Blood Donor App to help keep supply stable.
- To volunteer, sign up at redcross.org/volunteer.
If you’re in the affected area
Stay away from downed power lines and standing floodwater, which can hide hazards or be electrified. Follow local officials for shelter and road information, and report outages to your utility.
Please stay out of the water along the Gulf Coast until officials give the all-clear, since rip currents, debris, and contaminated floodwater can linger for days after a storm passes. And for anyone near Mexico’s Pacific coast, heed local evacuation orders as Simon approaches, since the mountainous terrain raises the risk of flash flooding and mudslides.
We’ll update this story as more information comes in.
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