Post-Tropical Cyclone Isaias Slams Florida, Leaving Hundreds of Thousands Without Power
Post-Tropical Isaias Batters Florida, Leaves Residents in the Dark
Published
Isaias slammed Florida like a "freight train" ... according to the lieutenant governor, leaving more than 430,000 customers without power after the storm tore into the Panhandle Friday night.
Florida Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins described the brutal impact during an interview with Fox News, saying, "This thing hit like a freight train. It was fast. It came in like a Mike Tyson punch."
The Category 2 hurricane -- which has since been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone -- made landfall near Destin around 9:30 PM Friday, bringing destructive winds and dangerous coastal conditions.
🇺🇸 Hurricane Isaias has lashed the US Gulf Coast with heavy rain and strong winds, as the Category 2 storm made landfall in northwestern Florida, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. ➡️ https://t.co/GQy4piETcV https://t.co/PdOk8rDTht @AFP
By Saturday morning, approximately 429,773 Florida customers were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.
Collins said an estimated 900K people evacuated ahead of the storm.
"While some might have ridden it out, if you have, please hunker down, stay safe, let's not put our first responders at risk," Collins told Fox News.
He also warned residents that the danger doesn't disappear when the storm passes.
"You got to remind people, once the storm is passed the risk is not over," he said. “Don't go out there, don't get in water puddles or exposed water. Look out for power lines and remain safe.
Isaias weakened as it moved inland, with maximum sustained winds reportedly dropping to around 35 MPH by Saturday morning. The storm had hit highs of 105 MPH sustained winds when it came in.
DRAMATIC VIDEO: The Rest and Relax Inn wasn't so peaceful as Hurricane #Isaias ripped the roof right off the building. Damaging winds knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers near Pensacola, FL. #Flwx https://t.co/8urmNuV6y8 @WeatherNation
Although preliminary reports had not indicated any catastrophic damage like what came with Hurricane Michael in 2018, Collins cautioned officials were still assessing the situation.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spoke in a news conference Saturday morning ... urging people to stay safe over the next couple of days as flooding could remain for a while.
More than 5,000 National Guard members and hundreds of state guard personnel were on standby, while thousands of utility workers prepared to help restore power.
