Historic Hurricane Idalia pounding north Florida with 'catastrophic' storm surge: Live updates - USA Trending Blog
Historic Hurricane Idalia pounding north Florida with 'catastrophic' storm surge: Live updates - USA Trending Blog
Historic Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday along Florida's Big Bend as a Category 3 tropical cyclone, driving "catastrophic" storm surge and flooding for hundreds of miles as it powered across the Georgia border.
"Catastrophic storm surge occurring along the coast of the Florida Big Bend and damaging winds spreading inland over northern Florida," the National Hurricane Center said in its 9 a.m. update, later adding that "damaging winds spreading into southern Georgia."
Swells that were affecting the eastern and central Gulf Coast from Florida to Louisiana were expected to increasealong the southeastern Atlantic coast and were "likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions," the hurricane center said.
Radar imagery indicated the eye of Idalia made landfall along the coast of Florida's Big Bend near Keaton Beach in Taylor County around 7:45 a.m. By 11 a.m. The storm was centered about 15 miles south of Valdosta, Georgia, speeding north-northeast at 18 mph with sustained winds easing to 90 mph, weakened over land but still hurricane.
More than 275,000 homes and businesses were without power, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 49 of the state's 67 counties across the northern half of the state from the Gulf to the Atlantic Coast.
In Taylor County, southeast of Tallahassee and one of the most rural and economically challenged areas of the state, Idalia forced the local Emergency Operations Center to evacuate to more secure facilities at an airport.
"Please hunker down wherever you are," DeSantis said at a briefing Wednesday in Tallahassee. "Don't mess with this storm, don't put yourself in jeopardy."
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