Hurricane Isaias leaves four dead and hundreds of thousands without power in the US Southeast
Four people have now been reported dead after Hurricane Isaias battered parts of the southern United States with powerful winds and heavy rain. Officials said two deaths were recorded in Alabama and two in Florida, as the storm left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity across several states. The hurricane made landfall in Florida late on Friday before being downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, but it continued to bring dangerous flooding and storm damage into Saturday.
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The latest figures put the number of people without power at at least 600,000 across several states, according to the supplied report. In Florida's Escambia County, a woman died after a tree fell on her house, while a man died from carbon monoxide poisoning after running a generator in a garage that was not properly ventilated. In Alabama, Governor Kay Ivey said two people had lost their lives, and a sheriff was injured when a tree fell on him while he was responding to a car crash.
Emergency crews also carried out flood rescues as vehicles became submerged in rising water. The Florida National Guard said soldiers swam to a truck stuck in a flood ditch and pulled the occupants to safety. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned that flooding remained a continued risk and described the situation as very hazardous, while Alabama officials said they were watching for spinoff tornadoes from the strong winds and heavy rain.
The storm has had significance beyond the immediate casualties because it affected several states at once and disrupted power, transport and emergency response. Alabama, Florida and Georgia all declared states of emergency before Isaias arrived, and both Florida and Alabama ordered mandatory evacuations for thousands of people. That response reflects the scale of the threat posed by a storm that was still dangerous even after weakening.
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Isaias made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour, or 168 kilometres per hour, before weakening inland. The damage pattern described in the report included fallen trees, damaged houses, flooded roads and people trapped in vehicles. Such storms can continue to cause harm after landfall because saturated ground, downed power lines and blocked roads complicate rescue and recovery efforts.
What remains unclear is whether the death toll will rise further as local authorities continue to assess the damage. It is also not yet clear how long power restoration will take across the affected states. Officials are still warning about flooding and possible tornadoes as the storm's remnants move on, and those risks will shape the next phase of the response.
Hurricane Isaias has left two people dead and caused widespread disruption across the southeastern United States after making landfall near Destin, Florida, before weakening as it moved inland through Alabama. The storm brought heavy rain, strong winds, flooding and downed trees and power lines across Florida, Alabama and Georgia. Officials also warned that dangerous conditions could continue even after the system weakened.
The hurricane struck the Florida Panhandle on Friday evening as a Category 2 storm, with sustained winds of 169 km/h (105 mph), according to the supplied report. By Saturday morning it had weakened to a post-tropical cyclone with winds of about 55 km/h (35 mph). One person died in Birmingham, Alabama, when a tree fell on a house overnight, local emergency officials said.
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A second person was killed in Escambia County, Florida, after a tree fell during the storm, although Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said state officials had not confirmed any storm-related fatalities. Power outages were among the most visible effects of the storm, with more than 900,000 electricity customers in Florida, Alabama and Georgia without power early on Saturday. That figure later fell to under 800,000, according to the report.
Flooding also forced road closures in parts of southern Alabama, including Houston County, while Pensacola, Florida, reported damage to an airport and a hotel roof. Trees and power lines came down across the city, leaving some residents without electricity and blocking roads. The storm matters because it combined immediate loss of life with a broad infrastructure impact across several states.
The report said officials were concerned about continued flooding and possible tornadoes even after the hurricane weakened. DeSantis warned that "the flooding story is not over," saying saturated ground and continued rainfall could still produce dangerous flooding a day or two after the storm passed. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey also said her team was watching for strong winds, heavy rain and possible spinoff tornadoes.
Isaias was described as the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season, which adds to its significance as an early-season storm affecting a large stretch of the Southeast. The damage pattern described in the report - fallen trees, blocked roads, damaged buildings and prolonged outages - is consistent with a fast-moving storm that can still cause major disruption after landfall. State search and rescue resources were said to remain available in case rising waters required emergency rescues.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also warned residents to be alert for contractors seeking to exploit the situation, indicating concern about post-storm fraud. What remains unclear is the final confirmed death toll, given the difference between local reports and the governor's statement on fatalities. It is also not yet clear how long power restoration will take or whether additional flooding or tornado damage will emerge as the storm's remnants move on.
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