Hurricane Isaias, a Category 2 storm, made landfall at 11 a.m. local time near Destin, Florida, with sustained winds of 105 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned residents to buckle down, citing flash‑flooding risks and urging people to stay off roads. He also announced a curfew for Mobile and a mandatory evacuation for several counties, stressing that power outages, gasoline shortages, and bridge closures could follow.
Emergency officials in Mobile reported downed trees and power lines, while the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority issued a boil‑water notice to more than 400,000 customers across Florida and Alabama. Mobile also imposed a curfew from Friday evening until morning, and several Waffle House locations in the panhandle shut down for the first time in a week.
Residents in Panama City, such as fire‑fighter Corliss Stone, are filling sandbags and preparing for the storm, describing it as a "nature of the beast" that they must brace for. Meanwhile, couples in Gulf Breeze have installed hurricane shutters and cleared yard debris, ready to ride out the surge that could reach 6 to 9 feet.
The National Guard deployed roughly 5,000 troops and airmen to support response efforts, while the National Hurricane Center projects inland rainfall of 4 to 8 inches, potentially flooding the Gulf Islands National Seashore and threatening agricultural areas in southern Alabama and southwestern Georgia.
By Saturday afternoon, Isaias is expected to downgrade to a tropical storm, but authorities warn that heavy rain will persist, keeping flights at Destin‑Fort Walton Beach Airport grounded and pushing evacuation orders to neighboring counties.