The US National Hurricane Center said that Hurricane Idalia has slammed Florida's Big Bend at dangerous Category 3 strength, inflicting deadly storm surge and catastrophic winds not seen in that Gulf Coast area in 125 years.
The center added in a statement that the hurricane destruction was expected to keep unfolding far beyond the landfall zone.
Idalia's core hit shore Wednesday morning near Keaton Beach, around where the panhandle meets the peninsula.
As of 9:00 a.m. ET, it was whipping top sustained winds of 110 mph as it threatened inland Florida and the Georgia and South Carolina coasts with intense flooding, ferocious winds and tornadoes, the National Hurricane Center said.
It is an "extremely dangerous" Category 3 hurricane after being downgraded from Category 4.
The storm has seen streets flooded, airports closed, flights canceled, along with widespread power outages. 12-16 feet of storm surge On its part, the National Weather Service office in Tallahassee said, "Locations may be uninhabitable for several weeks or months" because of wind damage. Storm surge could prevent access, too.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis indicated in a briefing that there might be a widespread power outages and damage and urged residents to stay home.
On August 28, President Joe Biden spoke to Governor DeSantis and told him that he quickly approved the Emergency Declaration for Florida as they prepare for Hurricane Idalia, said the White House.
FEMA has pre-deployed personnel and assets, including multiple Incident Management Assistance Teams, in preparation for response efforts. FEMA's National Response Coordination Center has also been fully activated to support any requests for federal assistance.
President Biden said Florida would have his full support as they prepare for Idalia and its aftermath.
President Biden also expressed his commitment to ongoing support for the people of Jacksonville following the horrific shooting on Saturday.
Source: Kuwait News Agency