Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in Florida as Category 2 storm

Oct 10, 6:45 AM2 min readCovered by 9 outlets

Drafted by AI from the sources below, fact-checked by the Ajako Taja Editorial Team · How we use AI

AI Summary

Hurricane Isaias hit Destin, Florida, on Friday, triggering mass evacuations and power outages for nearly half a million people across the Gulf Coast region.

Hurricane Isaias struck the Florida Panhandle near Destin on Friday evening, bringing winds of up to 110 mph and life-threatening storm surge warnings to the Gulf Coast.

The storm made landfall around 8:30 p.m. local time as a Category 2 hurricane, according to NBC News and the National Hurricane Center (NHC). While the BBC and Online Khabar reported winds reached 110 mph, other outlets including Deutsche Welle and The Guardian noted maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. Authorities in Florida, Alabama, and Georgia have declared states of emergency as the system moves inland.

Evacuations were ordered across coastal communities, with Alabama Governor Kay Ivey specifically directing tourists and non-residents to leave high-risk counties. Florida Senator Rick Scott issued an urgent plea on social media for residents to leave immediately, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told those remaining to stay off the roads. In Destin, all flights at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport were canceled.

Power outages have spread quickly, affecting roughly 480,000 customers altogether across the three states by Friday evening, according to Deutsche Welle. Online Khabar reported that Florida saw the heaviest impact, followed by Alabama and Georgia. The NHC has warned of a storm surge that could push ocean water up to 9 feet high in some areas, alongside the threat of flash flooding and tornadoes.

The Guardian reports that this storm will test the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following significant staffing cuts in 2025. While critics expressed concern over the agency's depth of resources, FEMA stated it has already deployed assistance teams to Alabama and Florida and is prepositioning supplies at Maxwell Air Force Base. President Donald Trump canceled a scheduled appearance at a college football game in Alabama due to the storm.

Background

Hurricane Isaias is the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season. According to the BBC, this marks the first time in more than 30 years that a hurricane did not form in the Atlantic until October, a delay attributed to El Niño conditions in the Pacific.