Four people have died and hundreds of thousands are without power after Hurricane Isaias impacted parts of the southern United States with powerful winds and heavy rain. Officials reported two deaths each in Alabama and Florida, including individuals killed when trees fell on their houses. As of Saturday evening, an estimated 500,000 people were without power in several states, according to tracker PowerOutage.
Isaias made landfall in Florida late on Friday with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (168 km/h) before being downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone. The storm caused damage by felling trees and ripping roofs off buildings. Alabama, Florida, and Georgia declared states of emergency ahead of its arrival, while both Florida and Alabama issued mandatory evacuation orders to thousands of residents.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Simon is approaching Mexico's Pacific coast and has strengthened to category four, expected to make landfall overnight. Tropical Storm Rachel is also anticipated to hit southern California later on Saturday.
In Florida, two deaths related to Isaias were reported in Escambia County. A woman was killed when a tree fell on her house, according to local Sheriff Chip Simmons. Joey Williams told NewsNation that his wife died in the storm after a tree fell through their roof while they were inside. Simmons later reported that a man died from carbon monoxide poisoning after running a generator in a poorly ventilated garage, with four others taken to the hospital.
Officials rescued individuals from vehicles submerged by floodwaters. The Florida National Guard shared images of a truck stuck in a flood ditch, stating that soldiers swam to the vehicle and pulled its occupants to safety. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned of ongoing flooding risks and described the situation as hazardous.
In Alabama, a sheriff was injured when a tree fell on him while he was responding to a car crash. Governor Kay Ivey confirmed the deaths of two residents but did not provide details on the circumstances. She expressed concern about potential tornadoes resulting from the storm's strong winds and heavy rain.
In Charleston, South Carolina, officials advised residents to remain at home on Saturday night as high tide is expected to reach 7.5 ft (2.3 m). The city warned that floodwaters would be difficult to see after dark, making it hard to judge their depth.
The storm is expected to weaken as it moves northeast, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned that the Carolinas and Georgia could experience flooding from up to 10 inches (25 cm) of rainfall. Hurricane Isaias was the first hurricane of the Atlantic's hurricane season, which has been largely delayed due to El Niño conditions in the Pacific.