Isaias lashes Southeast after making landfall in the U.S.

Isaias weakened early Saturday morning to a post-tropical cyclone after making landfall in the northern Gulf Coast as a Category 2 hurricane. 

As of 2 a.m. Eastern Time Saturday, it had maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour and was centered about 55 miles southwest of Montgomery, Alabama, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was moving north at 20 mph. 

All hurricane warnings have been canceled. A storm surge warning was in effect in Florida from the Santa Rosa/Okaloosa county line to Suwannee River, and a tropical storm warning was in effect from the Alabama/Florida line to Aucilla River, Florida.

Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, at around 8 p.m. Eastern Time, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

Roads in Destin were flooded, while in nearby Pensacola, police warned residents to stay off the streets because of debris across roadways. 

While the extent of the damage was not immediately known, many area residents posted pictures online of downed trees and power lines, and one video posted to social media showed a roof being ripped off of an inn in Pensacola.

Some Florida Panhandle counties temporarily suspended emergency response due to dangerous conditions.

More than 697,000 customers were without power across Florida, Alabama, and Georgia, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us.  

Tim Mowry, who rode out the storm from his home in Pensacola, said the wind was so intense it sounded like a train whistle as it whipped through a crack in his patio door. He lost power around 4:30 p.m. but was able to rely on a generator. Standing water also covered his backyard, and parts of his fence were ripped down, but overall he said the storm wasn’t as bad as he expected.

“As far as Pensacola-wise, we really got fortunate,” Mowry said.

Mowry said his son, who lives about 15 minutes away, tried to drive to his home after losing power but had to turn around because downed trees and power lines blocked the roads.

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President Trump late Friday night told reporters that White House officials were tracking Hurricane Isaias “very closely,” and adding that it was “under control.”

Earlier in the day, the White House approved federal emergency declarations for Florida and Alabama ahead of its arrival. 

Isaias had earlier in the day briefly strengthened into a Category 3 storm, which is defined as a major hurricane, before weakening to a Category 2 when it made landfall in the U.S. It then weakened quickly to a Category 1. It was still forecast to pack a punch as it moved inland, producing life-threatening storm surges and gusty winds. 

It was forecast to bring 4 to 8 inches of rain across southern Alabama, southwest Georgia, the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend, with totals as high as 15 inches, according to the National Hurricane Center. 

Other parts of the Southeast could see anywhere from 2 to 10 inches of rain. 

All roads in the southern Alabama county of Houston were closed early Saturday morning because of downed trees and powerlines caused by high winds from Isaias, local officials said, adding that there were major outages.

“Local emergency services, utility crews, and road crews are working to assess damage, clear debris and restore safe travel conditions,” the county’s emergency management agency said in a statement.

The county also said the region was also under a flash flood warning. 

Tens of thousands of people across the northern Gulf Coast were placed under evacuation orders ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Isaias. 

In Orange Beach, Alabama, streets and beaches were empty Friday heading into what was supposed to be a busy weekend for tourists. The gridlock on area roadways caused by fleeing residents over the past 48 hours was gone, and the evacuation window had closed, officials said, because winds were too strong.

The few residents left were trying to make the best of it. Christi Woods manages a wine store in Orange Beach, one of the only businesses that was still open Friday.

“We do take precautions, I mean, we’re kind of in the flood zone,” Woods said. 

“Folks who are in the path of this storm should know, this is not a random tropical system,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a news conference Friday. “It’s a major hurricane. And it’s going to potentially do a lot of damage.”  

A hurricane warning was in effect from the Mississippi/Alabama border to the Bay/Gulf County Line in Florida as Hurricane Isaias slams the Southeast. 

A tropical storm warning was in place from east of the Bay/Gulf County Line to the Aucilla River in Florida, while a storm surge warning was in place from Dauphin Island, Alabama, to the mouth of the Suwannee River in Florida.

Even though the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said Isaias would likely downgrade to a post-tropical storm by Saturday, it was still set to deliver drenching rains and powerful winds to the region. 

The center of the storm was forecast to move across Alabama and into the Tennessee Valley on Saturday and Sunday.