At least four people were dead and hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses remained without power Sunday after Hurricane Isaias slammed into the Florida Panhandle and pushed inland across the Southeast.
The storm made landfall near Destin, Florida, on Friday night, Oct. 9, as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of about 105 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center as reported by CBS News and Fox Weather. It had briefly reached Category 3 strength before landfall. Fox Weather reported a peak gust of 118 mph in Jay, Florida.
Deaths in Florida and Alabama
Two deaths were reported in Florida and two in Alabama, CBS News and Fox Weather reported.
In Escambia County, Florida, the sheriff's office said a woman was killed when a tree fell on her house, according to WKMG-TV. Also in Escambia County, a man was found dead in a closed garage with a running generator inside, and four family members were hospitalized, CBS reported. In Alabama, one person died when a tree fell on a home in the Huffman area of Birmingham, and the governor's office confirmed a second death in Barbour County without giving details.
The toll could change as recovery crews reach damaged areas.
Power outages
Outages peaked at more than 880,000 customers early Saturday, according to CBS News; Fox Weather reported a higher peak estimate. As of Sunday morning, more than 389,000 customers were still in the dark, about 315,000 of them in Florida and about 74,000 in Alabama, CBS reported. Florida Power & Light said it was targeting 95% restoration by the end of Monday, Fox Weather reported.
Flooding remains the main threat
Isaias weakened to a post-tropical cyclone over Alabama early Saturday and moved into Tennessee, but continued to drive heavy rain. DeFuniak Springs, Florida, recorded 12.46 inches, Fox Weather reported. The hurricane center forecast up to 8 inches for southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, the Big Bend and southwest Georgia, with localized totals up to 15 inches.
In western North Carolina, the Chimney Rock area activated flood sirens and reported landslides, a region still recovering from Hurricane Helene in 2024. A tornado was confirmed in Allendale County, South Carolina, and tornado warnings were issued in Georgia, Fox Weather reported.
"The risk of flooding is still high," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said. "So the flooding story is not over."
Federal response
President Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for Florida, Alabama and Georgia, CBS reported, and said the White House was tracking the storm "very closely." Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on CBS's "Face the Nation" that FEMA had pre-positioned assets in every affected state and that governors were "in good shape."
At least 35 Florida state parks were closed, Fox Weather reported.
Why it matters
Isaias is an early test of federal and state disaster coordination this season. Officials described the initial response as well prepared, but the slower work of restoring power and assessing flood damage across the Southeast will be the bigger measure.
Industry experts told CBS News that fuel prices could rise if power outages shut down refineries.
What's next
The remnants of Isaias were expected to be absorbed by another weather system Sunday, with heavy rain moving into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast before conditions improve Monday. Residents should follow local officials' guidance, avoid floodwaters and run generators only outdoors, away from windows and doors.
Ecker Geopolitics could not independently verify damage estimates; reported outage figures varied by source.