Hurricane Idalia barrels into Georgia after hitting the Florida Gulf coast

August 31, 2023: Hurricane Idalia barrels into Georgia after hitting the Florida Gulf coast.

According to Power Outage, over 280,000 people in Florida were without power as of early afternoon. At least two people died in weather-related car wrecks in Alachua and Pasco counties, police said.

At least 30 of Florida’s 67 counties issued some evacuation orders before the According to the state’s emergency management agency,  people who did not vacate should shelter in pence.

Idalia made landfall as a destructive Category 3 storm at Keaton Beach on the Big Bend coast, less than 90 miles southeast of the state capital of Tallahassee. According to the National Hurricane Center, the hurricane has since weakened to a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 90 miles for every hour.

According to the latest forecast, Idalia is predicted to weaken further as it progresses inland. However, it will remain a hurricane as the cyclone moves across southeastern Georgia and southern South Carolina this afternoon or evening.

Idalia is expected to become a tropical storm by the time it heads toward the coast of North Carolina on Wednesday night and Thursday, according to the forecast.  

According to the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, the river gauge at the small town of Steinhatchee on the Big Bend coast surged from 1 foot to 8 feet in an hour. Life-threatening storm surges will remain through the afternoon, according to the NWS.

“Don’t mess with this storm; don’t do anything that’s going to jeopardize yourself,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a morning press conference.

The Florida National Guard is conducting search and rescue operations in Florida’s western coastal counties, said Maj Gen.John Haas, who leads the force. Haas said at a press conference that the Guard is fully mobilized, with over 5,000 service members supporting the emergency response. He said that South Carolina and Tennessee are sending additional National Guard forces to assist with the answer.