Hurricane Isaias hits Florida, forcing thousands to evacuate

Hurricane Isaias has hit Florida in the United States, bringing strong winds, heavy rain and the risk of dangerous flooding. Thousands of people were told to leave their homes as Florida, Alabama and Georgia declared states of emergency.

‎‎The storm had winds of about 110 mph (175 km/h). Weather officials warned that storm surges could cause flooding of up to nine feet (2.7 metres) in some coastal areas.

‎‎Florida and Alabama ordered evacuations in areas at risk. Florida Senator Rick Scott urged residents to leave immediately, warning on social media: “DO NOT WAIT! Get out NOW!”

‎‎Alabama also ordered some tourists and visitors to leave counties expected to be badly affected by the storm.

‎‎The hurricane caused power cuts across the region. More than 350,000 people in Florida and about 170,000 in Alabama were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us. About 8,000 customers in Georgia also had no power.

‎‎Melissa Watson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Florida, warned that the storm could bring tornadoes. She advised people to follow weather warnings and move to higher ground if they were near the coast.

‎‎Watson also urged residents not to go outside to take pictures of the damage for social media, saying: “We want people to remain inside and safe while the hurricane is moving through.”

‎‎Meanwhile, other storm systems were affecting Mexico and California, where strong waves and high tides caused flooding in some coastal areas.

In recent years, Hurricane Helene struck Florida in September 2024, followed by Hurricane Milton in October of the same year. Hurricane Idalia had previously hit the area in August 2023, while Hurricane Ian made landfall in September 2022. These hurricanes demonstrated the severity of the impacts associated with climate change and rising sea levels along coastal areas. In 2025, no hurricane made landfall in the contiguous United States.

However, the possibility of future powerful storms continues to prompt emergency management agencies to urge residents to follow safety guidelines and evacuate when necessary.