Storm recovery efforts continue Monday morning after Hurricane Isaias slammed into the western Panhandle and southern Alabama on Friday night, bringing destructive winds, tornadoes, life-threatening storm surges, torrential rains and flooding to the region.
Isaias made landfall near Destin around 9:30 p.m. ET as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. Before coming ashore, the system strengthened into a major Category 3 storm earlier Friday.
At least four deaths were linked to the storm — two in Florida and two in Alabama.
A woman was killed when a tree fell on her Escambia County home, Sheriff Chip Simmons said in a news conference. Her husband, who was in the same room, was injured when the tree crashed through their roof and is expected to survive.
At another Escambia County home, a man died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator running in his closed garage, Simmons said.
In Alabama, one person died when a tree fell on a house in Birmingham, while another was killed in a motor vehicle crash involving a downed tree in Barbour County, authorities there said.
Nearly 150,000 customers remain without power in the Panhandle on Monday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.
Escambia County has the highest number without power with more than 67,500 outages.
There are more than 47,000 outages in Santa Rosa County, more than 17,000 in Walton, more than 6,000 in Okaloosa, nearly 5,000 in Holmes, about 1,500 in Bay and about 1,400 in Washington, according to the website.
There were several wind gusts above 100 mph reported during Isaias with the highest gust recorded at 117 mph just outside Pensacola Beach, according to the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network.
Nearly five dozen tornado warnings were issued by the National Weather Service along Isaias' path, from Florida through North Carolina, with at least 53 tornadoes generated during the storm, FPREN said.
Meanwhile, the heaviest rains fell in Alabama, where 12.97 inches were recorded in the town of Bellwood, the network said.
The Panhandle saw between 4 to 8 inches of rain with the highest amount in Florida, 12.47 inches, recorded in DeFuniak Springs, according to Fox Weather.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced additional recovery measures Sunday, according to a news release. Days ahead of the storm, he declared a state of emergency for 27 Florida counties in the Panhandle and northern parts of the state.
FloridaCommerce activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, making $10 million available in short-term, zero-interest loans to businesses affected by Isaias. Eligible businesses can apply at FloridaJobs.org/DisasterRecovery/EBL.
The state also reopened Grayton Beach State Park in Walton County after completing emergency repairs to a storm-damaged bridge. The Florida Department of Transportation worked with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and local partners to complete the repairs in 16 hours, allowing the park to reopen Sunday.
Eleven state parks had reopened as of Sunday, according to the release. Updated closure information is available at FloridaStateParks.org/StormUpdates.
State and local agencies continue working to clear debris, assess damage and restore critical services across the Panhandle.
The Florida National Guard had approximately 5,000 soldiers and airmen activated for storm response. The Guard reported completing 35 of 52 missions assigned by the State Emergency Operations Center, including clearing more than 3,700 cubic acres of debris and 1,000 miles of roadway. Guard personnel also assisted with relocating 50 residents with special needs.
The Florida Department of Transportation had more than 1,100 team members activated and more than 260 pieces of heavy equipment in the field. All interstates and state-owned bridges were open as of Sunday, though crews continued clearing arterial roads and restoring traffic signals. The department reported that 271 traffic signals had been restored using generators.
The Florida Department of Health continued coordinating medical response efforts and distributing critical supplies. Special-needs shelters remained open in Escambia, Washington, Santa Rosa, Jackson and Wakulla counties.
Boil-water notices remain in effect in seven counties: Escambia, Holmes, Jackson, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Walton and Washington.
State agencies and nonprofit organizations are coordinating food distribution, shelter assistance and other services for storm-affected residents.
The Florida Department of Children and Families is coordinating 600 pallets of food and hot-meal support for affected communities. A recovery shelter for survivors is operating at Immanuel Baptist Church, 3252 East James Lee Boulevard in Crestview.
Residents seeking help with food, housing, health care and other essential needs can call 211. Free civil legal assistance for disaster survivors is available at 833-513-2940.
FloridaCommerce also activated a Business Damage Assessment Survey to evaluate physical and economic losses caused by Isaias. Businesses can report damage at FloridaDisaster.biz by selecting "Hurricane Isaias."
Residents can check road closures and detours at FL511.com or through the FL511 app. Officials urged drivers not to travel through flooded areas, warning that water can conceal debris and downed power lines.
For continuing updates, residents should monitor announcements from state and local emergency management agencies.
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