Isaias weakens after making landfall in US Gulf Coast as hurricane – Al Jazeera

Isaias weakens after making landfall in US Gulf Coast as hurricane  Al Jazeera

More than 664,000 customers in Florida and Alabama have been left without power as Isaias downs trees, power lines. Hurricane Isaias has crashed into the United States Gulf Coast before losing speed and turning into a post-tropical storm as it moved over southern Alabama, threatening flash flooding and strong winds farther inland. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Saturday that Isaias is about 89km (55 miles) south-southwest of Montgomery, with maximum ⁠sustained winds of 100 kilometres per hour (65 ⁠miles per hour). When it made landfall near Destin, Florida, as the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 169km/h (105mph), the agency said. 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 social media video showed a roof being ripped off an inn in Pensacola. Some Panhandle counties temporarily suspended their emergency response on Friday night because of dangerous conditions. Parts of southern Alabama were also flooded, with officials in Mobile reporting downed trees and power lines. Roads in Houston County, which is in the southeastern corner of the state, were closed because of similar conditions.