Hurricane Idalia, a Category 3 tropical cyclone, made landfall in Florida's Big Bend area earlier this week, causing catastrophic storm surge and flooding. As the storm moved north-northeast, it weakened over land but remained a hurricane with sustained winds of 85 mph. The National Hurricane Center warned of damaging winds spreading inland over northern Florida and Georgia.
The storm surge and flooding affected hundreds of miles of coastline, with the worst damage reported in Taylor County, southeast of Tallahassee. Some businesses caught fire, roofs were torn off, and the county's Emergency Operations Center had to be evacuated. More than 275,000 homes and businesses were left without power.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated that there were no confirmed fatalities at the time, but assessments were still being made in the impacted areas. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for his state in preparation for Idalia's arrival.
Idalia is expected to weaken into a tropical storm as it moves near the coasts of northeastern South Carolina and North Carolina. Hurricane warnings have been issued for parts of Georgia and South