Powerful Hurricane Isaias has struck the southeastern coast of the United States. At least four people have died due to the storm, which made landfall early Saturday. Additionally, approximately 670,000 customers across Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi have been left without electricity. News agency Reuters reported this information.
Two of the fatalities occurred when heavy trees fell onto homes. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned that the risk of tornadoes remains for parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
According to data from the tracking website PowerOutage.us, 420,000 customers in Florida alone were without power as of Saturday afternoon. Furthermore, power outages affected 190,000 homes in Alabama, 43,000 in Georgia, and 17,000 in Mississippi. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated that restoring power quickly is being prioritized alongside damage assessment, with approximately 16,000 personnel deployed in the field. Pensacola Airport has been closed to all commercial flights due to storm damage.
Following the hurricane’s impact, oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico dropped by approximately 69 percent and 57 percent, respectively. To mitigate disruptions to fuel supplies, the US Department of Energy has authorized the emergency release of up to 4 million barrels of crude oil from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Responding to questions from journalists about storm preparations, US President Donald Trump stated that the overall situation is under control. States of emergency have been declared for Florida and Alabama to ensure necessary federal assistance in managing the disaster.
