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Isaias Leaves 700,000 Without Power Across Florida, Georgia

By Drooid · Oct 12, 2026, 5:10 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Hurricane Isaias Lands

Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida as a Category 2 storm, causing four deaths and widespread outages.
Wind gusts peaked at 117 mph three miles east-southeast of Oriole Beach, Florida.
Thirteen tornadoes were confirmed in Georgia and South Carolina as Isaias moved inland.
Roughly 700,000 customers in Florida, Alabama and Georgia lost power by Saturday afternoon.
Federal disaster assistance was authorized for Florida and Alabama residents after the storm.

Summary

Screven Tornadoes Strike

NWS survey teams identified three tornadoes on Oct 10, rating one EF0 and two EF1 in Screven County.
The EF0 touched down at 2:42 p.m. near Captolo, producing 80 mph winds and broken tree branches.
An EF1 with 105 mph winds struck south of Highway 21, snapping large trees and crushing a mobile home.
A flood watch remained active through Saturday night for southeast Georgia and South Carolina, expecting 1-3 inches of rain.

Summary

NHC Upgrades Isaias

National Hurricane Center upgraded Isaias to Category 3 with 120 mph winds before landfall.
The center issued its advisory at 4 a.m. Saturday as winds fell to 35 mph.
Storm Prediction Center raised tornado probability in Panhandle and Big Bend to 10% on Oct 9.
University of Miami researcher Andy Hazelton warned on X that overnight tornadoes are dangerous because people may be asleep.
A flood watch remains for the Florida Panhandle through 8 p.m. Oct 10.

History

Historical Context

In August 1992 Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida as a Category 5 storm, destroying over 63,500 homes, killing 44 people and causing $27.3 billion in damage—the costliest U.S. hurricane at the time. The devastation led FEMA to overhaul building codes and expand federal disaster response. Those reforms shape the aid and preparedness measures now deployed for storms such as Hurricane Isaias.

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Hurricane Isaias Lands

Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida as a Category 2 storm, causing four deaths and widespread outages.
Wind gusts peaked at 117 mph three miles east-southeast of Oriole Beach, Florida.
Thirteen tornadoes were confirmed in Georgia and South Carolina as Isaias moved inland.
Roughly 700,000 customers in Florida, Alabama and Georgia lost power by Saturday afternoon.
Federal disaster assistance was authorized for Florida and Alabama residents after the storm.

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