Hurricane Isaias Videos Show Florida Devastation as Storm Weakens: Latest Update
Post-tropical cyclone Isaias was moving across Alabama on Saturday, after making landfall near Destin, Florida, at approximately 8:30 p.m. CDT on Friday. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported in its final advisory at 5 a.m. EDT Saturday that the system had maximum sustained winds near 35 mph and was expected to weaken further before dissipating Sunday.
The NHC warned of possible flash, urban and river flooding, while tornado threats were expected to persist across parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and the Carolinas.
The storm had briefly reached Category 3 intensity on Friday, becoming the first major hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, before weakening ahead of landfall. It struck the Florida Panhandle as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, according to the NHC’s landfall update.
Power Outages and Damage Across Florida and Alabama
More than 884,000 customers across Florida, Alabama and Georgia were without electricity on Saturday mornin. The report listed 430,443 customers without power in Florida, 326,057 in Alabama and 127,905 in Georgia.
Flooded roads and debris were reported in Florida’s Panhandle after landfall. In Pensacola, a video shared on social media showed the roof of an inn being torn away during the storm.
In Alabama, fallen trees and power lines disrupted travel. Houston County officials closed all roads until conditions were considered safe, citing storm damage and flood risks. Some counties in Florida’s Panhandle also temporarily suspended emergency response operations Friday night because of dangerous conditions.
Florida’s pre-positioned search and rescue teams had not been called into action after Isaias made landfall, Gov. Ron DeSantis told Fox News early Saturday. DeSantis described the situation as “cautiously, a good sign,” according to CNN.
What Florida Officials Warned Before Landfall
Before the storm arrived, DeSantis declared a state of emergency across 25 Panhandle counties and urged residents to prepare for disruptions during a Thursday briefing at the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee.
“It’s moving quickly,” DeSantis said. “There will be impacts all across the Florida Panhandle.” State teams staged generators, fuel, flood barriers, bottled water, meals, tarps, Tiger Dams and sandbags in Tallahassee and the Santa Rosa County area ahead of landfall.
Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue said storm surge from Isaias was forecast to range from five to seven feet. He also warned there should be no deaths during or after the storm.
The NHC warned that flooding remained a concern even as Isaias weakened. Rainfall totals could reach eight inches across southern Alabama, Florida’s Panhandle and Big Bend, and southwest Georgia, with isolated totals of up to 15 inches possible. Forecasters also warned of possible tornadoes across parts of the eastern Florida Panhandle, Georgia and the Carolinas on Saturday.
