Hurricane Idalia strengthened to a dangerous Category 3 storm early Wednesday as it steamed toward Florida’s Big Bend region, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Tropical-Weather This image provided by NOAA shows shows Hurricane Idalia over Florida's Gulf Coast on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (NOAA via AP)
NOAA via AP
Tropical Weather Members of the Tampa Fire Rescue Dept., remove a street pole after large awnings from an apartment building blew off from winds associated with Hurricane Idalia Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in Tampa, Fla. Idalia made landfall earlier this morning along the Big Bend of the state. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
Tropical Weather People work to prepare waterfront business 83 West, ahead of the expected arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Fla, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Tropical Weather Zeke Pierce rides his paddle board down the middle of a flooded Bayshore Blvd in downtown in Tampa, Fla., Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. Hurricane Idalia steamed toward Florida’s Big Bend region Wednesday morning, threatening deadly storm surges and destructive winds in an area not accustomed to such pummeling. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
Tropical Weather In this photo taken with a drone, businesses are seen along 2nd Street in Cedar Key, Fla., ahead of the expected arrival of Hurricane Idalia, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. Several local residents said they planned to ride out the storm at the Cedar Inn Motel, with red roof, lower left. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Tropical-Weather This photo provided by FDOT shows flooded interstate 275 Over Tampa Bay, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. Hurricane Idalia steamed toward Florida’s Big Bend region Wednesday morning, threatening deadly storm surges and destructive winds in an area not accustomed to such pummeling. (FDOT via AP)
FDOT via AP
Tropical Weather Don Hawthorne walks across his flooded yard in unincorporated Pinellas County, Fla., after the storm surge from Hurricane Idalia moved by the area Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
Tropical Weather A fallen tree lies atop the Mayo Cafe and a truck parked outside in Mayo, Fla., after the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Tropical Weather A fallen tree lies on top of an RV in Mayo, Fla., after the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Tropical Weather Members of the National Guard prepare their equipment in Mayo, Fla., as they wait for instructions on where to respond, after the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Tropical Weather Florida A fallen tree lies atop the Mayo Cafe and a truck parked outside its entrance, in Mayo, Fla., after the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Tropical Weather Janecia Wallace, 18, climbs down a ladder with the help of her brother, Julian Wallace, 13, after being rescued by St. Petersburg Fire Rescue from their Shore Acres home Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday in Florida as a Category 3 storm and unleashed devastation along a wide stretch of the Gulf Coast, submerging homes and vehicles, turning streets into rivers, unmooring small boats and downing power lines in an area that has never before received such a pummeling. (Jennifer Glenfield/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Jennifer Glenfield/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Tropical Weather Chad Hinchman, 40, looks around his flooded front yard in Pasadena, Fla., as Hurricane Idalia makes landfall in the Big Bend region, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Tropical Weather Plastic wrap closes off a mailbox outside the Steinhatchee, Fla. post office, ahead of the expected arrival of Hurricane Idalia, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Tropical Weather This Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, 11:21 a.m. EDT satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Idalia, center, over Florida and crossing into Georgia, and Hurricane Franklin, right, as it moves along off the East coast of the United States. (NOAA via AP)
NOAA via AP
Tropical Weather A resident drives his golf car over a bridge on Cedar Key, Fla., ahead of the expected arrival of Hurricane Idalia, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Tropical Weather Chad Hinchman, 40, walks through one of his rental Airbnb properties on Hibiscus Avenue South, which flooded overnight, as Hurricane Idalia made landfall, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023 in Pasadena. (Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Tropical Weather A group wades into a flooded Beach Boulevard near 31st Avenue, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in Gulfport, Fla., as Hurricane Idalia made landfall in the Big Bend region. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Tropical Weather A man runs across flooded Bayshore Blvd., from the storm surge associated with Hurricane Idalia Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in Tampa, Fla. Idalia made landfall earlier this morning along the Big Bend of the state. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
Tropical Weather Shore Boulevard in front of O'Maddy's Bar & Grille is seen in floodwaters as Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in Gulfport, Fla. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP
APTOPIX Tropical Weather Rescue workers with Tidewater Disaster Response wade through a tidal surge on SW 358 Highway while looking for people in need of help after the Steinhatchee River flooded on Wednesday, Aug 30, 2023, in Steinhatchee, Fla., following the arrival of Hurricane Idalia. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP
APTOPIX Tropical Weather Daniel Dickert wades through water in front of his home where the Steinhatchee River overflowed on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in Steinhatchee, Fla., after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Tropical Weather Florida Residents of Twin City Mobile Home Park, a manufactured home community in flood zone A, navigate through the neighborhood in high waters, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Jennifer Glenfield/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Jennifer Glenfield/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Tropical Weather Daniel Dickert wades through water after the Steinhatchee River flooded on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in Steinhatchee, Fla., after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Tropical Weather Florida Sponge Diver Supply owner works to deal with the storm surge from Hurricane Idalia in Tarpon Springs, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Ivy Ceballo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Ivy Ceballo/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Tropical Weather Florida Residents of Twin City Mobile Home Park, a manufactured home community in flood zone A, navigate through the neighborhood in high waters, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Hurricane Idalia made landfall in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula. (Jennifer Glenfield
Tropical Weather Tybee Island, Ga., resident Bryan Moore helps his friend board up his house on the island, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023, ahead of Hurricane Idalia. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Idalia is expected to become a major hurricane Tuesday night before it reaches the Big Bend — where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula — and is still likely to be a hurricane while moving across southern Georgia on Wednesday, Aug. 30. (Stephen B. Morton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
Stephen B. Morton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP
Tropical Weather Jeff Wigsten, right, cuts plywood to help cover a business' windows as his dog Blue waits in his car, ahead of the expected arrival of Hurricane Idalia, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023, in Cedar Key, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Tropical Weather A chalkboard outside Duncan's on the Gulf reads "Closed Till Thurs Due to Hurricane Idalia. Be Safe," as business prepare for the expected arrival of Hurricane Idalia in Cedar Key, Fla, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
APTOPIX Tropical Weather Florida In this photo made in a flight provided by mediccorps.org, a destroyed home is seen in Keaton Beach, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Tropical Weather Joe Morgan, 53, clears a pine tree that had fallen on power lines in front of his home, following the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023 in Perry, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
APTOPIX Tropical Weather In this photo made in a flight provided by mediccorps.org, receding storm waters surround homes in Keaton Beach, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
APTOPIX Tropical Weather In this photo made in a flight provided by mediccorps.org, a road cuts through a flooded area south of Perry, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
APTOPIX Tropical Weather A family braves the rain as bands of rain from Hurricane Idalia move through the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. All four of Disney's Florida theme parks operated with normal hours as Idalia's main impact was further north in the Big Bend area of the state. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP
Tropical Weather In this photo made in a flight provided by mediccorps.org, a damaged gas station is seen in Perry, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
APTOPIX Tropical Weather Debris is littered around the damaged Regency Inn Perry in Perry, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Tropical Weather Parkgoers gather at Cinderella Castle as bands of rain from Hurricane Idalia move through the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. All four of Disney's Florida theme parks operated with normal hours as Idalia's main impact was further north in the Big Bend area of the state. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP
Tropical Weather In this photo made in a flight provided by mediccorps.org, a road cuts through uninhabited terrain south of Perry, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Tropical Weather This aerial photo shows homes surrounded by floodwaters in Steinhatchee, Fla., Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, left behind by Hurricane Idalia. (AP Photo/Daniel Kozin)
AP Photo/Daniel Kozin
Tropical Weather Sailboat owners Shawn Murphy, right, and his wife Sandy Murphy duck under some caution tape as they leave the marina after securing their 48-catamaran at the docks as Hurricane Idalia's bands start to impact the area, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in Savannah, Ga. (Stephen B. Morton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
Stephen B. Morton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP
Tropical Weather Abby Bentley, right, and her father Jim Bentley visit the north beach of Tybee Island to see the effects of Hurricane Idalia along the coast, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in Tybee Island, Ga. (Stephen B. Morton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
Stephen B. Morton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP
Tropical Weather Florida A small plane lies upside down on the tarmac at Perry-Foley Airport, following the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in Perry, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Tropical Weather This aerial photo shows homes surrounded by floodwaters in Steinhatchee, Fla., Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, left behind by Hurricane Idalia. (AP Photo/Daniel Kozin)
AP Photo/Daniel Kozin
Tropical Weather This aerial photo shows homes surrounded by floodwaters in Steinhatchee, Fla., Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, left behind by Hurricane Idalia. (AP Photo/Daniel Kozin)
AP Photo/Daniel Kozin
Cuba Tropical Weather A man carries a dog as he wades through a street flooded by rains brought on by Hurricane Idalia, in Batabano, Cuba, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. Idalia strengthened into a hurricane Tuesday and barreled toward Florida's Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa
APTOPIX Cuba Tropical Weather Residents wade through a street flooded by rains brought on by Hurricane Idalia, in Batabano, Cuba, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. Idalia strengthened into a hurricane Tuesday and barreled toward Florida's Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa
Cuba Tropical Weather Residents hold hands as they wade through a street flooded by rains brought on by Hurricane Idalia, in Batabano, Cuba, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. Idalia strengthened into a hurricane Tuesday and barreled toward Florida's Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa
Cuba Tropical Weather A resident, wearing a garbage bag as a makeshift rain poncho, wades through a street flooded by rains brought on by Hurricane Idalia, in Batabano, Cuba, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. Idalia strengthened into a hurricane Tuesday and barreled toward Florida's Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
PERRY, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Idalia tore into Florida at the speed of a fast-moving train Wednesday, splitting trees in half, ripping roofs off hotels and turning small cars into boats before sweeping into Georgia and South Carolina as a still-powerful storm that flooded roadways and sent residents running for higher ground.
“All hell broke loose,” said Belond Thomas of Perry, a mill town located just inland from the Big Bend region where Idalia came ashore.
Thomas fled with her family and some friends to a motel, thinking it would be safer than riding out the storm at home. But as Idalia’s eye passed over about 8:30 a.m., a loud whistling noise pierced the air and the high winds ripped the building’s roof off, sending debris down on her pregnant daughter, who was lying in bed. Fortunately, she was not injured.
“It was frightening,” Thomas said. “Things were just going so fast. … Everything was spinning.”
After coming ashore, Idalia made landfall near Keaton Beach at 7:45 a.m. as a high-end Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph (205 kph). The system remained a hurricane as it crossed into Georgia with top winds of 90 mph (150 kph). It weakened to a tropical storm by late Wednesday afternoon, and its winds had dropped to 60 mph (96 kph) by Wednesday night.
As the eye moved inland, high winds shredded signs, blew off roofs, sent sheet metal flying and snapped tall trees. One person was killed in Georgia. No hurricane-related deaths were officially confirmed in Florida, but the Florida Highway Patrol reported two people dying in separate weather-related crashes just hours before Idalia made landfall.
The storm brought strong winds to Savannah, Georgia, Wednesday evening as it made its way toward the Carolinas. It was forecast to move near or along the coast of South Carolina through Wednesday night and then just off the coast of North Carolina on Thursday before heading out into the Atlantic Ocean.
Idalia spawned a tornado that briefly touched down in the Charleston, South Carolina, suburb of Goose Creek, the National Weather Service said. The winds sent a car flying and flipped it over, according to authorities and eyewitness video. Two people received minor injuries.
Along South Carolina’s coast, North Myrtle Beach, Garden City, and Edisto Island all reported ocean water flowing over sand dunes and spilling onto beachfront streets Wednesday evening. In Charleston, storm surge from Idalia topped the seawall that protects the downtown, sending ankle-deep ocean water into the streets and neighborhoods where horse-drawn carriages pass million-dollar homes and the famous open-air market.
Preliminary data showed the Wednesday evening high tide reached just over 9.2 feet (2.8 meters), more than 3 feet (0.9 meters) above normal and the fifth-highest reading in Charleston Harbor since records were first kept in 1899.
Florida had feared the worst while still recovering from last year’s Hurricane Ian, which hit the heavily populated Fort Myers area, leaving 149 dead in the state. Unlike that storm, Idalia blew into a very lightly inhabited area known as Florida’s “nature coast,” one of the state’s most rural regions that lies far from crowded metropolises or busy tourist areas and features millions of acres of undeveloped land.
That doesn’t mean that it didn’t do major damage. Rushing water covered streets near the coast, unmoored small boats and nearly a half-million customers in Florida and Georgia lost power. In Perry, the wind blew out store windows, tore siding off buildings and overturned a gas station canopy. Heavy rains partially flooded Interstate 275 in Tampa and wind toppled power lines onto the northbound side of Interstate 75 just south of Valdosta, Georgia.
Less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of where Idalia made landfall, businesses, boat docks and homes in Steinhatchee, Florida, were swallowed up by water surging in from Deadman’s Bay. Police officers blocked traffic into the coastal community of more than 500 residents known for fishing and foresting industries.
State officials, 5,500 National Guardsman and rescue crews were in search-and-recovery mode, inspecting bridges, clearing toppled trees and looking for anyone in distress.
Because of the remoteness of the Big Bend area, search teams may need more time to complete their work compared with past hurricanes in more urban areas, said Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Department of Emergency Management.
“You may have two houses on a 5-mile (8-kilometer) road so it’s going to take some time,” Guthries said.
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented event” since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend.
On the island of Cedar Key, downed trees and debris blocked roads, and propane tanks exploded.
RJ Wright stayed behind so he could check on elderly neighbors. He hunkered down with friends in a motel and when it was safe, walked outside into chest-high water. It could have been a lot worse for the island, which juts into the Gulf, since it didn’t take a direct hit, he said.
“It got pretty gnarly for a while, but it was nothing compared to some of the other storms,” Wright said.
In Tallahassee, the power went out well before the center of the storm arrived, but the city avoided a direct hit. A giant oak tree next to the governor’s mansion split in half, covering the yard with debris.
In Valdosta, Georgia, Idalia’s fierce winds uprooted trees and sent rain flying sideways. Jonathon Wick said he didn’t take the approaching hurricane seriously until Wednesday morning, when he awoke to howling winds outside his home. After rescuing his young nephews from a trampoline in their back yard where the water rose to his knees, he brought them to his car and was climbing into the driver’s seat when a tree toppled right in front of the vehicle.
“If that tree would have fell on the car, I would be dead,” said Wick, who ended up getting rescued by another family member.
One man was killed in Valdosta when a tree fell on him as he was trying to clear another tree out of the road Wednesday, said Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk. Two others, including a sheriff’s deputy, were injured when the tree fell, Paulk said.
More than 30,000 utility workers in Florida were gathering to make repairs as quickly as possible in the hurricane’s wake. Airports in the region, including Tampa International Airport, planned to restart commercial operations either Wednesday afternoon or Thursday. By midday Wednesday, more than 900 flights had been canceled in Florida and Georgia, according to tracking service FlightAware.
At 11 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Idalia was about 15 miles (24 kilometers) north-northwest of Charleston, the National Hurricane Center said. It was moving northeast at 21 mph (33 kph).
Officials in Bermuda warned that Idalia could hit the island early next week as a tropical storm. Bermuda on Wednesday was being lashed by the outer bands of Hurricane Franklin, a Category 2 storm that was on track to pass near the island in the north Atlantic Ocean.
President Joe Biden called the governors of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina on Wednesday and told them their states had his administration’s full support, the White House said.
___
Associated Press writers Mike Schneider in St. Louis, Missouri; Curt Anderson in Orlando, Florida; Laura Bargfeld and Chris O’Meara in Tampa, Florida; David Fischer in Miami Beach; Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia; Jeff Amy and Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Lisa J. Adams Wagner in Evans, Georgia; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Christopher Megerian in Washington; and Julie Walker and David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.
