Hurricane Isaias makes landfall near Destin as a Category 2 storm

Inland communities face wind and outage risks

Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, told PBS News that “the hazards are already baked and set in place.” The warning underscores why a storm’s wind category alone does not describe the risks people face from rain, surge and flooding.

Isaias was moving at 17 mph. Brennan said its forward speed increased concern that winds and possible power losses could reach inland parts of Alabama, Georgia and eastern Mississippi.

That reach matters for communities beyond the coastline: wind damage and outages can affect people who are not in the storm’s landfall area. Before Isaias came ashore, the National Weather Service forecast four to eight inches of rain across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and southwest Georgia through the weekend, with some places potentially receiving up to 15 inches.

Surge and rain prompted evacuation orders

Before landfall, the National Hurricane Center warned that storm surge could reach six to nine feet in parts of the Florida Panhandle. Pensacola Beach and Gulf Islands National Seashore were among the areas it identified as most at risk.

Mandatory evacuation orders covered low-lying and waterfront areas in five Florida counties: Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton and Franklin. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey ordered nonresidents, tourists and other visitors to leave coastal areas of Baldwin and Mobile counties, Courthouse News Service reported.

Jared W. Perdue, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, warned that heavy rain could bring flash and localized flooding. State and county agencies were on standby, and officials also warned of debris and possible tornadoes.

The evacuation orders focused on low-lying and waterfront areas, where surge and flooding pose direct threats to residents. The rainfall forecast also put inland communities across three states in the storm’s path, extending the potential disruption beyond the immediate coast.

Power lines and water safety add to the immediate concerns

Downed trees and power lines in Mobile point to damage to local infrastructure, while the boil-water notice puts water safety in focus for some Florida utility customers. Both are practical concerns for people dealing with a storm whose hazards include flooding and high winds.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned before landfall that impacts would extend beyond the coast. After the storm came ashore, he warned that flash flooding remained a hazard across the region.

The landfall intensity was lower than Isaias’s earlier Category 3 peak, but the forecast risks reached well beyond Destin. The storm’s inland wind threat, heavy-rain forecast and flooding hazard remain central to what people across the Gulf Coast region face.