At least four people were killed as a result of the powerful Hurricane "Isaias," which struck the southeastern coast of the United States. UNN reports this, citing Reuters and the Associated Press.
The storm caused widespread destruction and left hundreds of thousands of consumers without electricity. The states of Florida and Alabama were hit hardest.
Details
Hurricane "Isaias" reached the U.S. coast on the night of October 10 near the city of Destin, Florida. At the time it made landfall, it was a Category 2 storm on the Saffir–Simpson scale, with sustained winds reaching 169 km/h.
According to local authorities, the storm claimed the lives of at least four people. Two were killed when trees fell onto residential buildings in Florida and Alabama. Another man died of carbon monoxide poisoning after a generator was used in a garage. The fourth death was linked to a traffic accident caused by a tree that had fallen onto a road.
According to the monitoring service PowerOutage.us, as of midday on October 10, about 670,000 consumers in four states remained without electricity. In particular, approximately 420,000 consumers were without power in Florida, 190,000 in Alabama, 43,000 in Georgia, and 17,000 in Mississippi. Meanwhile, according to updated information from the Associated Press, about 396,000 consumers in northwestern Florida and southern Alabama remained without power on the morning of October 11.
Strong winds knocked down trees and damaged power lines, the roofs of residential buildings, and infrastructure facilities. In the city of Pensacola, the hurricane damaged a hotel and the local airport. Commercial flights were temporarily suspended due to the storm's aftermath. Some communities experienced problems with drinking-water supplies. Authorities also reported flooded roads and damage to transportation infrastructure. About 16,000 utility workers were prepared to restore power in Florida.
How the hurricane affected oil and gas production
The storm also had a significant impact on the operations of the U.S. oil and gas industry. According to the relevant U.S. federal agency, as of October 10, about 69% of oil production and 57% of natural-gas production in the Gulf of Mexico had been suspended. Personnel were evacuated from 113 offshore production platforms. Shell and Chevron began gradually returning workers to facilities to resume production.
Amid disruptions to energy supplies, the U.S. Department of Energy authorized an emergency exchange of up to 4 million barrels of oil from the country's Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
The threat of flooding remains
After making landfall, "Isaias" gradually lost strength and weakened into a post-tropical cyclone. However, U.S. meteorologists warn that hazardous weather conditions will persist in a number of regions. In particular, the hurricane's remnants are moving toward the Appalachians and the Mid-Atlantic states, where heavy rain, localized flash floods, and gusty winds are forecast.
U.S. President Donald Trump approved federal emergency declarations for Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. This will make it possible to mobilize additional resources to deal with the consequences of the natural disaster.
It should be noted that "Isaias" became the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season, which was characterized by unusually low storm activity.