Florida is taking stock in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia, which barreled through the state’s west coast yesterday morning (30 August 2023) after making landfall at Keaton Beach, bringing a ferocious storm surge and destructive winds of around 125 mph (200km/h).

Idalia is the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Big Bend region in 127 years. The hurricane caused chaos along a wide stretch of the Gulf Coast, submerging homes and vehicles, unmooring boats, downing power lines and turning streets into rivers.

Dramatic images and videos are now emerging, demonstrating the devastating impact of the Category 3 hurricane, which has now been downgraded to a tropical storm as it heads inland and passes through Georgia.

Several boats were damaged and sank in Marina Jack Basin in Sarasota, when Idalia moved over the area. Nearby roads along the Bayfront and in the downtown Sarasota area have also been flooded by the storm surge.

More than 200,000 power outages were reported in Florida yesterday, and state officials have warned residents to prepare for long outages. Up to 40,000 Florida power workers are on standby to restore power as soon as it is safe.

As Idalia moved over the Gulf Coast of Florida, Hurricane Idalia’s storm surge caused the Steinhatchee River to reverse course, carrying some boats into a downstream bridge and flooding houseboats and homes.

The overall damage is still being assessed, although reports emerging from the ground give the sense that Idalia could have brought much worse destruction, given the severity of the storm.

Regardless, officials report that several towns have been significantly hit, including Cedar Key, which experienced a 9ft (2.7m) storm surge.

Sheriffs and fire officials have been using boats and large vehicles to rescue dozens of people from floodwaters who had chosen to ignore the mandatory evacuation directive.

“Unfortunately, people have their lifelong belongings, and some would rather weather the storm,” Pasco County Fire Chief Tony Perez told the BBC.

High tides combined with the storm surge will keep coastal flooding threats in place on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Multiple Florida counties were still under evacuation orders as of Wednesday evening (30 August 2023).

President Joe Biden warned on Wednesday that the storm is “still very dangerous”. Coastal and inland flooding is expected today in parts of Georgia, as well as South Carolina and North Carolina, as the storm makes its way along the south-eastern US coast.

The US Coastguard has issued a safety notice to mariners and residents of Florida, advising everyone to stay off the water and keep out the way of rescue crews.

Main image: @WHAS11 News/YouTube

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