Nearly 1 million without power after Hurricane Isaias strikes Gulf Coast

Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents across the Gulf Coast without power, according to the Washington Examiner, the BBC, and Al Jazeera. The Washington Examiner reported that nearly 900,000 residents were without electricity across Florida, Alabama, and Georgia by Saturday morning, while Al Jazeera put the figure at more than 664,000 customers affected in Florida and Alabama. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Isaias was the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2026 season. [1][3][6][17]

The Washington Examiner detailed that about 430,000 residents lost power in Florida alone, where roughly 900,000 people had evacuated before the storm hit. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated that disastrous impacts were avoided because the hurricane weakened after moving inland, as reported by the Washington Examiner. High winds from the storm downed trees and power lines across the impacted states, Al Jazeera reported. [1][6]

Outlets differed on the strength of the hurricane at landfall and during its approach. The Washington Examiner described Isaias as a Category 2 hurricane when it struck near Destin, which aligns with earlier reports from FTMQ News. However, PBS NewsHour and CNN reported that Isaias had strengthened into a major Category 3 hurricane with winds up to 120 mph as it approached the coast, while the BBC noted winds of 105 mph at landfall. [1][3][4][5][17]

Prior to landfall, emergency responders and residents in Gulf Coast states prepared for severe impacts, according to UPI. Upstream Online reported that the approaching hurricane caused nearly two-thirds of the oil output in the United States Gulf region to be halted. [7][11]