With winds reaching nearly 170 km/h, Hurricane Isaias swept the coasts of Florida and Alabama on Friday evening. Roofs torn off, roads flooded, evacuations and power outages: the damage is significant. Although the storm lost its power on Saturday, authorities still fear flooding.
Hurricane Isaias made landfall Friday evening near Destin, northwest Florida, with sustained winds reaching 169 mph. Classified as category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which has five, it caused significant damage on the American Gulf Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
More than 664,000 homes and businesses were without electricity Saturday morning in Florida and Alabama, according to the specialized site PowerOutage.com, cited by the Associated Press.
In Pensacola, gusts ripped off roofs, uprooted trees and threw debris onto roads. “I have never seen such a strong wind. It’s intense, it’s scary,” Jonathan Ramos, a 40-year-old resident, told AFP.
Evacuations and flooded roads
Several states in the region have declared a state of emergency and ordered evacuations in the most exposed sectors. Roads were submerged in Destin, while authorities in Pensacola asked residents to stay home.
In southern Alabama, emergency responders are also reporting downed trees and power lines. In Mobile, a curfew was in place until Saturday morning.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged people to exercise extreme caution. Around 5,000 members of the National Guard were mobilized to participate in relief operations.
The risk of flooding persists
The hurricane began to weaken after making landfall. As of Saturday morning, Isaias was no longer considered a hurricane, but meteorologists warn that the danger is far from over.
Rainfall of 100 to 200 millimeters, or more locally, is expected in several areas of the southeastern United States. The rise in water levels could also reach 90 centimeters to 1.50 meters on certain portions of the coastline.
The low pressure system is expected to continue its progression towards the interior of the country, bringing heavy rains until the beginning of next week.
Oil production disrupted
Isaias’ arrival also caused significant economic disruption. Several airports in Florida have suspended flights and oil companies have evacuated part of their offshore platforms.
On Friday, around two thirds of the region’s oil production capacity and more than half of its gas production capacity were temporarily shut down, according to American authorities. That’s nearly 1.5 million barrels of crude oil per day taken out of production.
Although the hurricane is expected to spare the main oil centers of the Gulf of Mexico, power outages at refineries could lead to further pressure on fuel prices.
Donald Trump, for his part, canceled his trip planned for Saturday to Alabama, where he was to attend an American football match, so as not to disrupt relief operations.
