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Hurricane Isaias Hits Florida as Category 2, Cuts Power

By Drooid · Oct 11, 2026, 2:31 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Isaias Hits Florida

Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida as a Category 2 storm with 105 mph winds.
Four people died.
Power outages affected over 700,000 customers, later dropping to about 679,000.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued mandatory evacuations and declared states of emergency.
Storm surge warnings forecast up to nine feet from the Alabama-Florida border to Grayton Beach.

Summary

Trump Approves Declarations

President Donald Trump approved emergency disaster declarations for Florida, Alabama and Georgia, unlocking aid.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed the declarations on X and urged sheltering.
Energy Department authorized emergency exchanges of up to 4 million gallons of crude from the reserve.
About 5,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen were deployed for storm response.
Gulf oil production dropped 63%, cutting roughly 1.3 million barrels per day.

History

Historical Context

In August 1992 Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida as a Category 5 storm, destroying over 63,000 homes, killing 65 people and inflicting $27.3 billion in damage; the disaster prompted President George H.W. Bush to declare a federal emergency and led FEMA to overhaul funding and building-code policies. Those reforms shape today’s response to Hurricane Isaias, where Governors DeSantis and Ivey coordinate evacuations under Trump-era federal declarations.

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Isaias Hits Florida

Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida as a Category 2 storm with 105 mph winds.
Four people died.
Power outages affected over 700,000 customers, later dropping to about 679,000.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued mandatory evacuations and declared states of emergency.
Storm surge warnings forecast up to nine feet from the Alabama-Florida border to Grayton Beach.

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