Climate & Environment

Hurricane Isaias Hits Destin as Category 2 Storm

By Aryan Singh

Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported. The storm was located about 50 miles (80 km) west‑northwest of Panama City, Florida, in the NHC’s latest advisory. Coastal communities across Florida’s Panhandle and parts of Alabama are preparing for damaging winds, flooding and a potentially life‑threatening storm surge. Earlier forecasts warned that water levels could rise 6 to 9 feet in vulnerable coastal areas. “Things are going to get really, really treacherous over the next couple hours,” said Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the NHC, according to the Associated Press. Authorities have issued hurricane warnings from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the western Florida Panhandle, and several counties have ordered mandatory evacuations. Mobile, Alabama, has imposed a curfew as officials prepare for the storm’s impact. More than 365,000 customers in Florida and Alabama were without electricity on Friday evening, according to poweroutage.com. Officials in Mobile reported fallen trees and power lines, while the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority issued a boil‑water notice for some Florida customers. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned residents to prepare for power outages, fuel shortages and the possible closure of bridges and highways. The state’s National Guard deployed about 5,000 soldiers and airmen to support emergency operations, and search‑and‑rescue teams were placed on standby. Some prisons also evacuated inmates. Residents have been securing their homes and filling sandbags to limit potential flood damage. In Panama City, people braved heavy rain to protect their properties ahead of the storm. Anne Petzold, a resident of Gulf Breeze, said she and her husband had installed hurricane shutters and cleared their yard of objects that could become dangerous in high winds. “Everybody does what they can do, everybody asks if they need help — they ask for help, they offer help. All good,” she said. “It’s just another adventure.” The NHC forecast 4 to 8 inches of rainfall, with localized totals potentially reaching 15 inches in parts of the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southwestern Georgia. The storm is expected to weaken as it moves inland, but flooding and hazardous weather could continue across parts of the southeastern U.S.