Hurricane Idalia batters Florida with catastrophic floods as nearly 270K left without power, officials warn areas won’t be habitable for ‘months’
Hurricane Idalia made landfall early Wednesday in Florida as a deadly Category 3 hurricane, promising to unleash “life-threatening” storm surges and damaging winds in the strongest storm to hit the area in more than 125 years.
Idalia had briefly been categorized as a Category 4 storm before winds tapered off to 125 mph as it made landfall at 7:45 a.m. near Keaton Beach in Taylor County.
“This change in wind speed does not diminish the threat of catastrophic storm surge and damaging winds,” the National Hurrican Center had cautioned, with two Florida men soon confirmed as having been killed in storm-related incidents.
It was the strongest hurricane to hit the Big Bend area since an unnamed storm in 1896, according to the Fox Forecast Center, with several cities seeing widespread flooding at record water levels.
By 11 a.m., Idalia had been downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane — still with “damaging” 90-mph winds — as the eye moved into southern Georgia.
“Dangerous storm surge is also expected along the southeastern US coast within the Storm Surge Warning area tonight and Thursday,” the National Hurricane Center warned.
By midmorning, submerged trucks and Floridians kayaking down flooded streets could be seen across the state. Winds hit 85 mph in some cities, sending debris soaring through the air as trees bent almost completely parallel with the ground.
Several cities set record water levels as the storm settled in. Between the high tide and full moon, Idalia’s aggressive waves pushed water up to a record 8.9 feet in Cedar Key.
Two Florida men were killed in separate weather-related incidents early Wednesday.
Two hours before Idalia made landfall, a 59-year-old Gainesville man swerved into a ditch on SR-20 and crashed into a nearby tree line.
The second incident involved a 40-year-old man who drove his pickup truck “too fast for conditions” and collided with a tree.
The threat of storm surges spans about 200 miles of Florida’s west coast, including the state’s Big Bend area, a sparsely populated area where the peninsula merges into the Panhandle, which was expecting anywhere from 12 to 16 feet of storm surge.
The surge in Clearwater Beach, which barriers Tampa against the Gulf of Mexico, reached 5.2 feet, or 4.1 feet above the highest tides.
The looming threat of storm surge, as well as wind damage, has officials with the National Weather Service in Tallahassee warning that some places “may be uninhabitable for several weeks or months.”
Damaging winds had already left nearly 270,000 Floridians without power Wednesday morning as Idalia closed in on the state, PowerOutage.us shows.
Getty Images
The most impacted areas include Taylor and Dixie counties, which includes Horseshoe Beach, where a terrifying beach camera video captured waves surging onto the shore just before the power cut out.
The vicious storm — which had 14 million Floridians under hurricane and tropical storm warnings — dumped heavy rain over western Cuba before slamming down on Florida’s Gulf coast.
Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 46 of the state’s 67 counties as thousands of National Guard troops were deployed to the area ahead of Idalia’s impact.
“If you are told to evacuate, you have to do that now,” he said during a Tuesday news briefing as evacuation orders were issued in 22 counties.
From Tuesday to Thursday, Florida’s Gulf coast and southeastern portions of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina could face torrential rains of 4 to 8 inches.
All face various hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge warnings and advisories.
Potentially “destructive life-threatening” winds are another concern as the core of Idalia moves onshore through the Big Bend area, according to the National Hurricane Center.
More than 40 school districts across the impacted region have canceled classes, DeSantis said.
Tolls were being waived on highways out of the danger area on Tuesday as over 30,000 utility workers gathered ahead of the likely overload of power outages.
Tampa International Airport and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport said they would close on Tuesday, and the Sunrail commuter rail service in Orlando was being suspended.
Gainesville Regional Airport also announced Wednesday that it would be closed until 5 p.m., saying, “No flights are operating until this evening … The airport is not available as a shelter. Stay safe!”
Jacksonville International Airport remains open but warned that cancellations are imminent throughout the day.
The Orlando International Airport, closest to Walt Disney World Resorts, said Wednesday that while it is “open and operational,” flight disruptions and delays are expected throughout the day.
Florida’s major theme parks, including Walt Disney World’s resorts, closed some attractions as Idalia barreled toward the state’s Big Bend region.
“We are closely monitoring the path of the projected weather as we continue to prioritize the safety of our Guests and Cast Members,” the resort announced.
President Biden on Monday said he had approved an emergency declaration for Florida. He is expected to address Hurricane Idalia from the White House at 1:45 p.m. and provide an update on the ongoing response to the storm.
Biden has reportedly been in touch with DeSantis.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency was on the ground in Florida early Wednesday, providing resources for those displaced or without power.
In addition to Idalia’s historic impact, major Florida cities like Tampa, Jacksonville and Sarasota could face tornados in the coming days.
Both southwest Florida and Cuba are still recovering from Hurricane Ian, which was responsible for more than 100 deaths last year and left some Florida residents without power for over a month.
With Post wires
