Ace Breaking News – In short: Hurricane Isaias has killed at least four people, leaving hundreds of thousands without power across three US states. Florida, Alabama and Georgia have declared state of emergencies as it is downgraded Reuters News Agency, ABC News & BBC News by Hafsa Khalil, Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu and Nardine Saad reports: Published: Sun 11 Oct 2026 at 9:09am
Hurricane Isaias has been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone the day after it made landfall along the northern Gulf Coast of Florida, bringing with it heavy rains and powerful winds.
Hazardous conditions remained and storm surges, flash flooding, damaging winds and a risk of tornadoes were expected across parts of the US, the National Hurricane Center said.
At least four people have died and 800,000 Florida, Alabama and Georgia residents were without power after Hurricane Isaias made landfall.
Authorities in Florida had received no search and rescue requests shortly after landfall in a sign of limited impact, Governor Ron DeSantis said.
However, hazardous conditions remained and storm surges, flash flooding, damaging winds and a risk of tornadoes across parts of the US were expected, the National Hurricane Center said.
The tornado threat is expected to continue today across parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and the Carolinas, the NHC said.
Florida, Alabama and Georgia have declared emergencies.
In Florida, power restoration was marked as priority, authorities said, while highways, bridges and airports were reopening, and teams were assessing the damage.
“They’re going to make assessments this morning, and I think that’ll give us a good sense about the future for the rapidity of the power restoration,” Mr DeSantis said.
He also warned that casualties might follow “in the days after”.
“It’s still a very hazardous situation.”
Some 16,000 utility linemen had prepared to respond to the storm, he said.
More than 430,000 customers in Florida, over 280,000 in Alabama and some 100,000 in Georgia lost power as the storm hit shore, according to tracking firm PowerOutage.us.
Several killed by fallen trees
In Alabama and Florida, three people were killed by falling trees, according to local media and authorities.
Sheriff Chip W Simmons of Escambia County, Florida has confirmed two “storm-related fatalities” via social media.
“A tree fell on a house and unfortunately took the life of a lady,” he said, and later confirmed that a man died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Alabama’s emergency management agency said the downed trees and power lines made travel hazardous in Houston County, which is under a flash flood warning.
“Due to the impacts of Hurricane Isaias, all Houston County roads are closed until further notice,” it posted on X.
Isaias rapidly lost wind speed after hitting the Florida coast as a Category 2 hurricane, the first of the 2026 Atlantic season.
It is expected to produce gusty winds well inland before weakening below gale force later on Saturday, the NHC said.
‘A lot of hazards post-storm’
Oil and gas producer Shell has said it was beginning to redeploy personnel to its Mars, Olympus, Ursa, Vito, and Appomattox assets in the Gulf.
President Donald Trump, asked about hurricane preparations on Friday, told reporters outside the White House that it was “under control.”
Earlier, emergency declarations were approved in Florida and Alabama to ensure federal resources would be available to respond to Isaias, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on X.
“There’s also a lot of hazards post-storm that people should be careful of,” DeSantis told FOX News.
“But so far, we’ve had a lot of assets in place that have not been called on.”
Coastal towns in Mexico brace for major hurricane
A second hurricane has developed into a powerful category 4 system which is expected to make landfall “near or just inland” of Mexico’s west-central coast on Sunday, local time.
The National Hurricane Centre in Miami said Hurricane Simon’s maximum sustained winds increased to 240km/h.
A storm of that strength or greater is considered a major hurricane.
The centre said the hurricane could bring as much as 25-50 centimetres of rain over parts of south-western Mexico, with some areas in the states of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco receiving up to 76cm.
“This rainfall will produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain,” the centre warned in a bulletin that also urged residents to take immediate action to prepare as tropical-storm conditions were expected to arrive Saturday afternoon.
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