Brief

Two killed as Hurricane Isaias brings flash‑flood threat across the U.S. Southeast

The storm, which made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane near Destin, Florida, left nearly 700,000 customers without power and prompted flood warnings across the region.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sun, 11 Oct 2026 03:56:43 GMT

Hurricane Isaias, the season’s first hurricane, struck the Florida Panhandle as a Category 2 storm on Friday and moved northward, killing two people and leaving almost 700,000 customers without electricity, according to news18.com.

What happened

Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, before weakening to a post‑tropical cyclone overnight while continuing across Alabama. The storm produced torrential rain, flash‑flood risk and isolated tornadoes across the Southeast. Trees fell onto homes in Escambia County, Florida and Birmingham, Alabama, killing one person in each location. By midday, power outages affected roughly 700,000 customers in four states.

What the reports add

The outlet noted that forecasters warned flooding could extend into the southern Appalachians. Despite earlier storm‑surge alerts, major coastal routes were reported open by daybreak Saturday. In Pensacola, hurricane‑force winds ripped the roof off a hotel, while the city’s mayor said the airport sustained damage. The storm also flattened a boathouse in Destin and stripped part of a high‑rise façade in Panama City Beach.

What was said

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told news18.com, “The risk of flooding is still high. Sometimes these things happen a day or two after the storm goes through. So the flooding story is not over.” Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons posted on Facebook that a woman died after a tree fell on her home. Birmingham fire chief Cory Moon confirmed a fatality when a tree struck a house in the city.

How it came about

Isaias formed early in the week as a tropical storm and was forecast to become a Category 1‑2 hurricane before landfall. Earlier Felo News coverage documented the storm’s landfall near Destin and the extensive power outages it caused across the Gulf Coast. The current report builds on that background, adding details of the two fatalities and the ongoing flood threat.

Key facts

Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida as a Category 2 storm (news18.com)
Two people were killed – one in Escambia County, Florida and one in Birmingham, Alabama (news18.com)
Nearly 700,000 customers were without power across four states by midday (news18.com)
Governor Ron DeSantis warned that flood risk remained high after the storm (news18.com)