Hurricane Isaias leaves two dead and 800,000 without power in US Southeast

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkA storm-damaged gas station in East Milton, Florida on Saturday [Octavio Jones/AP]By Al Jazeera StaffPublished On 10 Oct 202610 Oct 2026Hurricane Isaias, the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season, has killed two people and left hundreds of thousands of customers without power across the southeastern United States.The storm made landfall near Destin, Florida, on Friday evening as a Category 2 hurricane before weakening as it moved inland through Alabama overnight.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Scientists warn super El Nino could cause 450,000 deaths: Should we worry?list 2 of 3Hurricane Polo brings fears of heavy rain and landslides in Mexicolist 3 of 3Hurricane Polo lashes Mexico as Nolo strengthens near Hawaiiend of listOne person died in Birmingham, Alabama, when a tree fell on a house overnight, according to local emergency officials. A second person was killed in Escambia County, Florida, after a tree fell during the storm, according to local authorities.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Saturday that state officials had not confirmed any storm-related fatalities, including the report from Escambia County.Isaias hit land with sustained winds of 169km/h (105mph), bringing powerful gusts and heavy rain to the Florida Panhandle. By Saturday morning, the storm had weakened to a post-tropical cyclone with wind speeds of about 55km/h (35mph).Relaxing in a hotel lobby in Pensacola, Florida during a power outage ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Isaias, October 9, 2026 [Marco Bello/Reuters]More than 900,000 electricity customers in Florida, Alabama and Georgia were without power early Saturday morning. That number has since gone down to under 800,000, according to PowerOutage.us.Fallen trees and downed power lines caused widespread disruption, while flooding forced road closures in parts of southern Alabama, including Houston County. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said on Saturday morning that her team was concerned about “strong winds, heavy rain and possible spinoff tornadoes”.Local officials in Pensacola, Florida reported strong winds that damaged an airport and tore the roof off a hotel. Trees and power lines also came down across the city, leaving some residents without electricity and roads blocked.Wind, rain, and flying debris as seen from a hotel lobby in Pensacola, Florida on Friday before the hurricane hit [Marco Bello/Reuters]Despite the storm’s weakening, officials warned that dangerous conditions could persist. Heavy rainfall threatened flash flooding across parts of the Southeast.“The flooding story is not over,” DeSantis said on Saturday, warning that saturated ground and continued rainfall could cause dangerous flooding a day or two after the storm passed. He said state search and rescue resources would remain available in case rapidly rising waters required emergency rescues.Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also warned residents to be alert for contractors seeking to exploit storm victims as homeowners begin repairing damaged properties.Florida Power & Light worker Yosvany Quintero clears downed tree branches on Saturday [Octavio Jones/AP]