Hurricane Isaias: Storm damage in Pensacola, Florida today; watch scary photos and videos

Hurricane Isaias battered Florida’s Gulf Coast with powerful winds, heavy rain and dangerous flooding on Friday, October 9, after making landfall near Destin as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm later weakened to Category 1 as it moved inland, but forecasters warned that life-threatening storm surge, flash flooding and damaging winds remained a threat, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).Hurricane Isaias makes landfall near Florida’s Destin; Pensacola hit by strong winds. (AFP)Images and videos from Pensacola showed deteriorating weather conditions as the hurricane approached the coast. The storm brought widespread power outages across Florida, Alabama and Georgia, while emergency officials warned residents to remain sheltered as dangerous conditions continued.Watch: Scary photos and videos show Hurricane Isaias battering PensacolaPhotos and videos from Pensacola show powerful winds, rough seas and storm conditions as Hurricane Isaias swept across Florida’s Gulf Coast.Strong winds, power outagesIsaias made landfall near Destin on Florida’s Panhandle at around 8:30 p.m. local time on Friday, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (169 km/h), the NHC confirmed in its landfall update.ALSO READ: US immigration fines: ICE finalizes new rules after judge blocks Trump policy; appeals process gets key changeThe storm’s center was about 40 miles east of Pensacola at landfall and continued moving north at around 19 mph. Earlier, the NHC reported a wind gust of 97 mph at a weather station near Santa Rosa Sound and a gust of 71 mph at Pensacola International Airport.By late Friday night, approximately 668,000 electricity customers across Florida, Alabama and Georgia were without power, according to outage-tracking website PowerOutage.us, cited in NBC News. Florida accounted for around 409,000 outages, Alabama approximately 234,000 and Georgia about 26,000.The outages climbed sharply as Isaias approached the coast, disrupting electricity supplies across communities in the storm’s path.Flooding, storm surge and tornado threatThe National Hurricane Center warned that life-threatening storm surge and flash flooding were affecting parts of the Gulf Coast as hurricane conditions spread inland.Forecasters expected rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches across parts of the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southwestern Georgia, with isolated amounts reaching 15 inches. The rainfall could trigger significant flash flooding, particularly in low-lying areas and places with poor drainage.ALSO READ: Trump appoints Katie Zacharia as White House press secretary after Karoline Leavitt’s exit, ahead of midtermsThe tornado threat was also expected to continue overnight and into Saturday across parts of the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas.Hurricane warnings and storm surge warnings remained in effect across parts of the northern Gulf Coast as the storm moved inland. Residents were urged to follow local emergency instructions and avoid travelling through flooded roads.Isaias to weaken as it moves inlandAfter making landfall, Isaias was expected to weaken as it travelled across Alabama towards the Tennessee Valley over the weekend. However, forecasters warned that damaging winds could extend well inland, bringing down trees and power lines.Florida officials had mobilized emergency resources ahead of landfall, while search-and-rescue teams were positioned near areas expected to be affected.According to Reuters report, the storm weakened to Category 1 after coming ashore, but the threat of flooding and dangerous coastal conditions persisted.Isaias is the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.(With agency inputs)