Hurricane Isaias by the numbers (as of Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026)
Hurricane Isaias damage across the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama left at least four people dead and, at one reported point, more than 884,000 customers without power after the storm came ashore near Destin, Fla., as a Category 2 hurricane on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. As of Sunday, Oct. 11, about 356,000 customers were still dark, according to PowerOutage.com figures cited by the Associated Press. This report collects the confirmed numbers, a timeline, the damage assessment, the federal and state response, and ways to help.
Key Takeaways
- Isaias was the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season and the first to strike Florida in two years, according to FPREN.
- At least four deaths are linked to the storm: two in Escambia County, Fla., and two in Alabama, per officials quoted by the AP.
- Power was the main ongoing problem on Oct. 11, with roughly 356,000 customers out in the Panhandle and southern Alabama.
- No official damage total has been published in the reporting reviewed for this article.
- Flooding was still the threat on Sunday as remnants moved into the Appalachians and mid-Atlantic.
Isaias Timeline: From Landfall to Cleanup
- Fri., Oct. 9 (daytime): The Trump administration approved federal emergency declarations for Florida and Alabama ahead of landfall. Florida’s governor had declared a state of emergency for more than two dozen counties, Alabama’s for 40 counties, and Georgia’s governor also declared one (CBS News). Florida and Alabama issued evacuation orders for thousands of people (BBC).
- Fri., Oct. 9, before landfall: Isaias strengthened to a Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds, then weakened to Category 2 (CBS News).
- Fri., Oct. 9, about 8 p.m. ET: Landfall near Destin, Okaloosa County, with 105 mph winds, per the National Hurricane Center (CBS News; FPREN). Roads in Destin flooded and Pensacola police told residents to stay off debris-covered streets.
- Sat., Oct. 10, 2 a.m. ET: Isaias weakened to a post-tropical cyclone with 65 mph winds, centered about 55 miles southwest of Montgomery, Ala. All hurricane warnings were canceled (CBS News).
- Sat., Oct. 10, morning: The first deaths were reported: a woman killed by a falling tree in Escambia County, and a person killed by a tree in the Huffman area of Birmingham, Ala. All roads in Houston County, Ala., were closed by downed trees and lines (CBS News).
- Sat., Oct. 10, afternoon: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office reported a man dead from carbon monoxide from a generator running in a closed garage; four relatives were treated at a hospital. Alabama’s governor’s office confirmed a second Alabama death in Barbour County. The president approved an emergency declaration for Georgia (CBS News).
- Sat., Oct. 10, evening: The storm was about 75 miles south of Nashville with 25 mph winds, moving northeast at 16 mph (CBS News).
- Sun., Oct. 11: Rivers overflowed in western North Carolina; McDowell County reported five landslides and voluntary evacuations but no known injuries or deaths. Crews and relief groups worked in Pensacola (AP/LA Times). Remnants were expected to dissipate Sunday.
Hurricane Isaias Damage Assessment
Officials had not published a total damage figure by Oct. 11, and surveys were still under way, FPREN reported. The picture so far comes from officials and news reports:
- Homes and buildings: Wind blew the roof off a Pensacola hotel, flattened a boathouse in Destin and tore part of the facade from a high-rise in Panama City Beach (AP). CBS News reported that the Milton High School gymnasium was destroyed and that roofs came off at least two gas stations and an apartment in Gulf Breeze.
- Power: Florida Power & Light spokesperson Sarah Gatewood said crews from across Florida and more than two dozen other states were mobilized (AP). Florida’s governor said restoration was the focus (CBS News).
- Transport: Pensacola’s mayor said the airport “took some damage.” Reuters reported Pensacola International was closed to commercial flights until further notice, while highways, bridges and other airports were reopening (Reuters via Denver Gazette).
- Water and supplies: Reuters reported a lack of drinking water in Pensacola. At a church distribution site, AP described hundreds of cars lined up, with supplies running out the day before.
- Flooding and rain: The official rainfall high was 12.97 inches in Bellwood, Ala.; with a stalled front, many places saw 10 to 20 inches (FPREN). The National Hurricane Center said coastal water levels ran up to 1.5 feet above predictions.
- Tornadoes: The National Weather Service issued at least 53 tornado warnings from Florida to North Carolina; confirmed tornadoes were reported near the Georgia-South Carolina line and in North Carolina, with ratings still pending (FPREN).
- Fuel: The Energy Department authorized emergency crude oil exchanges from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve with Exxon Mobil and BP America to keep refineries running (CBS News).
- Agriculture and hospitals: We found no confirmed reports of crop losses or hospital closures in the sources reviewed.
Deaths and Power Outages: What the Sources Say
The four deaths: a woman killed when a tree fell on her home in Escambia County; a man who died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator in a closed garage in Escambia County; a person killed by a tree falling on a house in Birmingham, Ala., per fire chief Cory Moon; and a death in Barbour County, Ala., from a motor vehicle crash involving a downed tree, per the state emergency management agency (AP/LA Times; FPREN). The generator death is a reminder that generators must run outdoors, away from windows.
Outage counts vary by time and tracker. On Oct. 10 CBS cited PowerOutage.com totals of 884,000 customers in the morning and a seven-state breakdown later that day of Florida 422,357, Alabama 200,930, Georgia 44,877, Mississippi 18,824, South Carolina 7,917, North Carolina 8,138 and Tennessee 6,649. Reuters put the figure at about 670,000 at midday Saturday. By Sunday the AP reported about 356,000 customers out in southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
Response: Federal, State and Local
Federal emergency declarations covered Florida, Alabama and, from Oct. 10, Georgia, allowing FEMA to supplement state and local response (CBS News). Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said FEMA had pre-positioned assets in every state and that governors told him they were “in good shape,” and that the Coast Guard was conducting boat rescues and recovery. Florida’s National Guard helped rescue people from submerged vehicles (BBC). Linemen convoyed along the I-10 corridor, per Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida’s governor said no search and rescue requests had come in shortly after landfall (Reuters). Readers in New England can find our earlier coverage of the Mullin confirmation and our Boston nor’easter flood watch report. More global coverage is on our World Affairs page.
How to Donate to Hurricane Isaias Relief
The Boston Report does not collect donations and has no financial stake in any group below. These are established organizations with official pages; check each page for whether you can designate Isaias or a disaster fund.
- American Red Cross disaster relief
- The Salvation Army USA (use its disaster giving options)
- Direct Relief (medical supplies and emergency response)
- World Central Kitchen (meals for disaster-affected communities)
- Florida Disaster Fund (the state’s official fund)
Avoid scams: Verify any charity on Charity Navigator or Give.org before giving. Be wary of unsolicited calls, texts and social posts, and of requests for gift cards, cash or wire transfers. Give only through a charity’s own website.
What We Don’t Know Yet
- A total damage estimate, from officials or insurers.
- The exact number of people evacuated or displaced; officials said “tens of thousands.”
- The final tornado counts and ratings, pending National Weather Service surveys.
- When power will be fully restored. Figures change hourly and differ between trackers.
- Whether the death toll will rise as flooding and cleanup continue.
Hurricane Isaias FAQ
Where did Hurricane Isaias make landfall?
Near Destin in Okaloosa County, Fla., at about 8 p.m. ET on Oct. 9, as a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds, per the National Hurricane Center as reported by CBS News.
How many people died?
At least four: two in Escambia County, Fla., and two in Alabama, as of Oct. 11 (FPREN).
How many people are without power?
About 356,000 customers in the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 11, per PowerOutage.com via the AP. Check your utility for local status.
Is the storm over?
The hurricane became a post-tropical cyclone early Oct. 10 and was expected to dissipate Oct. 11, but flooding and tornado risk continued for the Appalachians and mid-Atlantic, per the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service as reported by the AP.
Another storm was also in the news. Is it related?
CBS News also reported Hurricane Simon, a Category 4 storm approaching Mexico’s Pacific coast, and the remnants of Rachel in Southern California. Both are separate from Isaias.
Image: NASA Worldview/Aqua MODIS satellite image of Hurricane Isaias near peak intensity before Florida landfall, Oct. 9, 2026 (21:02 UTC). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
- FPREN: Hurricane Isaias by the numbers (Oct. 11, 2026)
- Associated Press via Los Angeles Times: Isaias brings rain to Appalachians and mid-Atlantic (Oct. 11)
- CBS News live updates: Isaias and the Southeast (Oct. 9-11)
- BBC News: Four dead and thousands without power after Hurricane Isaias
- Reuters via Denver Gazette: Isaias kills at least 4, leaves 670,000 without power
- National Hurricane Center (NOAA)
- PowerOutage.us
- FEMA
- NASA Worldview / Aqua MODIS image via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)