Life-threatening Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in Florida

What the report says

Hurricane Isaias made landfall in Florida on Friday evening, according to BBC World News, after weakening slightly to a Category 2 storm with sustained winds reported at 110 mph (175 kph). The hurricane struck Florida’s western panhandle and was expected to bring dangerous flooding, damaging winds and a life-threatening storm surge. Authorities in Florida, Alabama and Georgia declared states of emergency, and officials ordered evacuations in coastal areas and other counties likely to be hit hardest.

BBC World News reported that the National Hurricane Center warned of storm surge that could reach up to 9 feet (2.7m) in some locations. The storm was forecast to move across Alabama and into the Tennessee Valley over the weekend, with heavy rain, inland wind and possible tornadoes also expected. Power outages were already widespread before landfall, with more than 350,000 customers without electricity in Florida and about 170,000 in Alabama, while Georgia also reported outages.

The article noted local residents and businesses preparing by boarding up buildings and securing property, while some officials urged people not to wait to evacuate. Waffle House also closed several locations in the storm’s path, a detail often watched in the US as a sign of severe weather. More broadly, the report placed Isaias in the context of an active storm period affecting parts of North America, including additional systems in Mexico and along the Pacific coast.