Flood waters from Hurricane Idalia inundate Steinhatchee, Florida
Hurricane Idalia has left behind a trail of destruction with evacuated residents returning to find their homes gone while thousands more are still without power.
Idalia ploughed into Florida as a Category 3 Hurricane on Wednesday morning before losing power as it moved inland through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
As of 4am ET on Friday morning, the National Hurricane Center reported that Idalia had the strength of a post-tropical cyclone and was heading for Bermuda where it will bring heavy rain and powerful winds over the weekend.
In Florida, 97,000 homes were still without power as of 4.45am ET on Friday morning.
Governor Ron DeSantis said on Thursday that restoring power and clearing debris would be a key priority throughout Friday. There are also concerns over flesh-eating bacteria, carbon monoxide, and other health risks in the state, local officials said.
Analysts are now estimating that Idalia may become the most costly climate disaster in the US this year, according to a report, as President Joe Biden has requested billions of dollars more in extra disaster relief as part of a supplemental funding request.
Mr Biden will visit Florida on Saturday morning to survey the recovery efforts.
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Satellite images capture Florida before and after Hurricane Idalia made landfall
The storm flooded streets, destroyed homes and downed power lines. Terrifying videos have shown a car being flipped into the air by a gust of wind and a gas station roof being blown off.
Water levels in the Steinhatchee River surged from 1 foot to 8 feet in just an hour, the National Weather Service said.
The storm was declared “an unprecedented event” by the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, because no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend.
Oliver O’Connell1 September 2023 20:20
Journalist battles 100mph winds as he reports from Florida during Idalia landfall
An NBC News photographer battled wind gusts of 100mph as he reported from Florida amid Hurricane Idalia’s landfall. Paul Rigney was on the ground in Perry at just after 8am on Wednesday 30 August when he was nearly blown off his feet. “The gust was so severe it lifted me, my camera and tripod off the ground. Hence the wobble halfway through,” Mr Rigney tweeted, responding to a video shared on Twitter of his report. He also explained that a billboard close to him “collapsed” in “roaring” winds.
Oliver O’Connell1 September 2023 19:20
Terrifying moment car carrying two people is flipped into air by Hurricane Idalia
The black sedan was travelling through severe rainfall near Goose Creek, north of Charleston, on Wednesday afternoon when severe gusts of wind threw it up in the air at an intersection.
Footage shows the car being flipped upwards by the strong winds, causing it to spin on its rear wheels before flipping upside down and landing on the roof of another oncoming car.
The Goose Creek Police Department said that the two people inside the car suffered minor injuries and were taken for treatment at a local hospital.
Officials from Berkely County Emergency Management later confirmed that it was a brief tornado during Storm Idalia that had flipped the vehicle.
Oliver O’Connell1 September 2023 18:20
Watch: DeSantis says Biden team will be ‘sensitive’ about not causing disruption during Florida visit
Oliver O’Connell1 September 2023 18:00
Watch: DeSantis says Florida will apply for whatever federal money is available for recovery
Oliver O’Connell1 September 2023 17:40
Dramatic timelapse shows Idalia storm surge barrel through Florida’s Hudson Beach
Dramatic timelapse footage shows a storm surge barrel through Hudson, Florida, ahead of Hurricane Idalia’s landfall. Heavy rain and strong winds rolled through the westernmost end of Pasco County, located close to the Tampa Bay area. Idalia hit Florida’s Big Bend region as a “life-threatening” Category 3 storm on the morning of Wednesday 30 August, before downgrading to a Category 2 as it heads across land toward Georgia. The hurricane brought maximum sustained winds of 125 mph and a catastrophic storm surge to the Sunshine State.
Oliver O’Connell1 September 2023 17:20
Watch: Why you should avoid floodwaters after a hurricane
Oliver O’Connell1 September 2023 16:40
Once again Tampa Bay area dodges direct hit by hurricane
Last year it was Hurricane Ian that drew a bead on Tampa Bay before abruptly shifting east to strike southwest Florida more than 130 miles (210 kilometers) away. This time it was Hurricane Idalia, which caused some serious flooding as it sideswiped the area but packed much more punch at landfall Wednesday, miles to the north.
In fact, the Tampa Bay area hasn’t been hit directly by a major hurricane for more than a century. The last time it happened, there were just a few hundred thousand people living in the region, compared with more than 3 million today.
Oliver O’Connell1 September 2023 16:19
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Oliver O’Connell1 September 2023 15:40
Florida residents share heartbreaking photos of Hurricane Idalia’s wrath
Florida residents shared heartbreaking photos of the destruction caused by Hurricane Idalia after the powerful storm swept into the state on Wednesday.
Idalia made landfall around 8am as an “extremely dangerous” Category 3 storm with 120mph winds and warnings of a “catastrophic” coastal surge up to 15 feet in places. More than 250,000 customers were left without power on Wednesday.
The hurricane came ashore near Keaton Beach in Big Bend, southeast of Tallahassee, an area known as “Florida’s nature coast” and less densely populated than other parts of the state.
But that was cold comfort for the small, tranquil communities dotting the coastline with Idalia forecast to be the strongest storm to hit the region in more than 100 years.
Louise Boyle1 September 2023 15:20