Isaias leaves about 834,000 without power after Category 2 landfall; flood risk lingers

Isaias came ashore near Destin, Florida, Friday night as a Category 2 hurricane, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season. By Saturday morning it had weakened to a post-tropical cyclone over Alabama, but it left hundreds of thousands of people without power and a lingering threat of flooding and tornadoes across the Southeast.

## Landfall and what happened overnight

Isaias made landfall around 8 p.m. ET Friday near Destin, according to the National Hurricane Center as cited by CBS News. It had briefly reached Category 3 strength earlier Friday before weakening slightly. ABC News, citing the National Weather Service, reported landfall winds of up to 105 mph.

The Associated Press reported flooded roads in Destin and parts of southern Alabama, including Mobile, and downed trees and power lines in Pensacola and Mobile. Pensacola police urged residents to stay off the streets because of debris. A social media video showed a roof ripped off an inn in Pensacola, AP reported. Some Panhandle counties temporarily suspended emergency response Friday night because conditions were too dangerous.

In Houston County, Alabama, officials closed all roads early Saturday because of downed trees and power lines, CBS News reported.

AP reported no deaths as of early Saturday. Officials said the full extent of damage was not yet known.

## Power outages

About 834,000 customers were without power as of 5 a.m. ET Saturday, according to poweroutage.us as cited by CBS News:

- Florida: about 436,000
- Alabama: about 315,000
- Georgia: about 83,000

Before landfall, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told residents to assume they would lose power and to prepare for about 72 hours without it, ABC News reported.

## Where the storm is now

In its final advisory at 5 a.m. ET Saturday, the hurricane center said Isaias was post-tropical with winds near 35 mph and was expected to dissipate Sunday, according to CBS News. All hurricane warnings were canceled.

Post-tropical does not mean harmless. It means the storm has lost the structure of a tropical system. Its rain and wind can still cause serious damage.

## The flooding and tornado threat

The hurricane center forecast up to 8 inches of rain across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, the Big Bend and southwest Georgia, with isolated totals up to 15 inches. It warned that "flash, urban and river flooding is possible across the region."

Up to 5 inches, and locally 10, could fall elsewhere in the Southeast, especially in the southern Appalachians and coastal Carolinas. Tornadoes are possible Saturday across the eastern Florida Panhandle, Georgia and the Carolinas, forecasters said.

## Federal response

The Trump administration approved federal emergency declarations for Florida and Alabama Friday night, CBS News reported. Florida, Alabama and Georgia had already declared states of emergency.

President Donald Trump canceled plans to attend Saturday's Georgia-Alabama football game in Tuscaloosa, saying he did not want to disrupt emergency response efforts, according to AP.

## What happens next

Power restoration in the hardest-hit areas could take days. Officials in Pensacola and elsewhere are asking people to avoid driving through debris and floodwater.

If you are in the affected area, avoid downed power lines, never drive through flooded roads, and run generators only outdoors. Follow your county emergency management office and local National Weather Service office for warnings as the storm's remnants move north through the weekend.