Isaias slams Gulf Coast as hurricane with powerful winds and dangerous flooding

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GULF BREEZE, Fla. (AP) — Isaias crashed into the U.S. Gulf Coast on Friday as a dangerous Category 2 hurricane, hammering communities in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle with damaging winds, heavy rain, flooding and life-threatening storm surges.

The first hurricane of the Atlantic season made landfall near Destin, Florida, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. It had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (169 kph). The storm weakened to just below major hurricane status before it came ashore and by early Saturday was no longer considered a hurricane as its wind speeds continued to decrease.

“The storm is here. Buckle down at this point. Don’t be getting out on the roads,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference, adding that flash flooding would be a hazard “throughout the region.”

Hurricane-force winds lashed the Gulf shoreline in the low-lying coastal area known for powdery white-sand beaches dotted with vacation homes, waterfront bars, and seafood shacks. Forecasters warned the conditions could also stir up tornadoes across the Florida Panhandle and into southern Georgia.

“We’re watching it very closely, the hurricane,” President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House late Friday night as he returned from a rally in upstate New York, adding that it was “under control.”

Roads in Destin were flooded, while in nearby Pensacola, police warned residents to stay off the streets because of debris across roadways. While the extent of the damage was not immediately known, many area residents posted pictures online of downed trees and power lines, and one social media video showed a roof being ripped off an inn in Pensacola.

Some Panhandle counties temporarily suspended emergency response Friday night because of dangerous conditions.

Parts of southern Alabama also were flooded, with officials in Mobile reporting downed trees and power lines. Roads in Houston County, which is in the southeastern corner of the state, were closed because of similar conditions.

More than 664,000 customers in Florida and Alabama were without power early Saturday, according to poweroutage.com.

Tim Mowry, who rode out the storm from his home in Pensacola, said the wind was so intense it sounded like a train whistle as it whipped through a crack in his patio door. He lost power around 4:30 p.m. but was able to rely on a generator. Standing water also covered his backyard, and parts of his fence were ripped down, but overall he said the storm wasn’t as bad as he expected.

“As far as Pensacola-wise, we really got fortunate,” Mowry said.

Mowry said his son, who lives about 15 minutes away, tried to drive to his home after losing power but had to turn around because downed trees and power lines blocked the roads.

One of the biggest concerns is a storm surge that could reach 3 to 5 feet (0.91 to 1.52 meters) from Dauphin Island, Alabama, to Florida’s Aucilla River, according to the hurricane center.

Dangerous conditions are expected throughout the western panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi, the National Hurricane Center said. Several counties announced mandatory evacuations while Mobile, Alabama, imposed a curfew through Saturday morning.

In a sign of how serious the warnings are, dozens of Waffle Houses in the Florida Panhandle closed, according to the company’s website. The beloved Southern breakfast chain is known for staying open through severe weather and often serves as a measure of a storm’s severity.

Kelsei Frazier, a Florida native living in Pace and no stranger to hurricanes, knows all about the Waffle House Index.

“We joke because if Waffle House is still open, then you know it’s not a bad hurricane, but all the Waffle Houses that I know of within at least a normal range from us are closed,” said Frazier.

DeSantis warned residents to expect gasoline shortages and bridge and highway closures.

The state’s National Guard deployed about 5,000 soldiers and airmen to help with the response, and search-and-rescue teams were ready to respond, while some prisons evacuated inmates.

Isaias was already slowing after landfall, and it was expected to weaken further and be downgraded to a tropical storm by Saturday afternoon, the center said.

Still, heavy rain is forecast as it moves inland, with 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) or even more expected through the weekend from southern Alabama to southwestern Georgia.

Isaias, the first hurricane to hit the eastern U.S. since Milton tore up the Gulf Coast of Florida in 2024, is also expected to bring heavy rain and potential flooding to much of the Southeast over the weekend, then to parts of the Midwest and Northeast into Monday.

The storm grounded most Friday flights at several panhandle airports, including all flights into and out of Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport. Trump, meanwhile, scrapped his plans to attend Saturday’s football game between the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He said he didn’t want to disrupt emergency response efforts.

Isaias was expected to miss the oil industry’s biggest hubs along the Gulf Coast, but fuel prices could rise if power outages shut down refineries for processing crude, industry experts said.

Meanwhile, in the Pacific, Hurricane Simon became a Category 4 storm early Saturday, ahead of a projected landfall in Mexico this weekend.

Tropical Storm Rachel was also expected to bring heavy winds and rain to northern Mexico and Southern California over the weekend.

Associated Press reporters Megnien reported from Panama City, Florida, Golden reported from Seattle, and Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Seth Borenstein and Collin Binkley in Washington; Rio Yamat in Las Vegas; Gerald Herbert in Pensacola, Florida; Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; and Laura Turbay in Little Rock, Arkansas contributed to this report.

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