Hurricane Isaias Devastates US Gulf Coast, Leaving 800,000 Without Power

12 Oct 2026

Residents across the southeastern United States have begun cleanup and recovery efforts after Hurricane Isaias, the opening Atlantic tropical cyclone of the 2026 season, made landfall near Destin, Florida, on Friday.

As of midafternoon Sunday, approximately 356,000 customers remained without electricity in southern Alabama and northwestern Florida, according to data from PowerOutage.com, an independent tracking service. At the storm’s peak, power outages affected nearly 800,000 homes and businesses across the Gulf Coast.

Sarah Gatewood, a spokesperson for Florida Power and Light (FPL), announced that restoration crews from across Florida and more than two dozen other states had been mobilized to help repair the grid.

At least four deaths have been linked to Isaias since it made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane on the five-tier Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

The storm churned northward into Alabama on Saturday with fierce tropical-storm-force winds before weakening into a post-tropical cyclone and tracking further north toward the Appalachian Mountains. Although its intensity has diminished, the system continues to pose a threat to the mid-Atlantic region with the potential for flash flooding.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), surface observations indicate that Isaias now maintains maximum sustained winds of 160 km/h (100 mph) and an estimated minimum central pressure of 978 millibars (28.88 inches).

Across Florida and Alabama, residents have reported significant damage caused by the storm’s high-velocity winds. In the resort city of Pensacola, the roof of a Rest and Relax Inn was sheared off, while a boathouse in Destin was flattened.

The immediate struggle for basic necessities was most acute in Pensacola, the westernmost part of the Florida Panhandle, where the storm downed power grids and caused widespread structural damage. Hundreds of cars lined the block around a distribution site operated by the United Cajun Navy, a volunteer disaster relief organization, on Saturday morning.

Pensacola’s Mayor DC Reeves warned of critical drinking water shortages following the storm, which damaged drinking wells and water infrastructure. He stated that residents remain under an advisory to boil tap water before use.

“We are winding down day three of storm response and recovery operations, and we remain focused on public safety, clearing debris, and restoring critical infrastructure and services,” Reeves said on social media.

Isaias also forced the indefinite closure of Pensacola International Airport, Florida’s 10th-largest airfield, due to severe damage.

Fallen trees and power lines continue to make travel hazardous in Houston County, Alabama, which remains under an emergency flash flood warning, according to state emergency officials.

“Due to the impacts of Hurricane Isaias, all Houston County roads are closed until further notice,” the agency posted on X.

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