Florida:

On Wednesday morning, the storm, which had been raging its way east across Georgia, made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 3 hurricane, flooding communities and leaving trails of debris. Estimates show the cost of Hurricane Idalia’s landfall will cost between $12 to $20 billion in damages.

For comparison, the National Hurricane Center estimated that Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 storm that made landfall in western Florida last year, cost the United States $112.9 billion in damages. It was then the third most expensive hurricane in US history.

 After the storm passed, the waters in Florida’s Crystal River started to recede, revealing a “catastrophic event,” city council member Ken Frink told CNN on Wednesday. If not for two things: the comparatively quick pace at which Idalia passed through the area and the location of where it made landfall, the devastation might have been greater. 

 Georgia:

Georgia announced a state of emergency as the Southeast of the United States was slammed by severe flooding and storm surges. A state of emergency was declared by Governor Brian Kemp, and will run until September 8 at 11.59 p.m.

 The executive order stated that Idalia “has the potential to produce severe impacts to citizens throughout south-central and southeast coastal Georgia” and that possible flooding, downed trees, power lines, and debris may render Georgia GIA’s network of roads is impassable in affected counties, isolating residences and persons from access to essential public services.”

South Carolina:

Idalia battered Florida before flooding sections of South Carolina, including Charleston. The National Weather Service reported that the water level at Charleston Harbor was higher than 9 feet as the storm passed through South Carolina on Wednesday night. This makes it the fifth-highest water level ever recorded and only marginally lower than levels experienced during Hurricanes Matthew in 2016 and Irma in 2017.

The weather service also recorded “major coastal inundation” at Edisto Beach and Downtown Charleston. The Charleston Battery and Edisto dunes have been breached by water, allowing water to rush onto the roads and under houses.

According to Charleston police, certain roads were blocked by floods, making it difficult to access some places. Trees have fallen, and the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office reported that if roads are in these conditions, it is adviced to turn around.

More information about Hurricane Idalia:

• Idalia has shifted offshore but is still a tropical storm.
• Early this morning, almost 300,000 consumers in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina were without electricity.
• Forecasters predict that Idalia could bring the Carolinas up to 8 inches of rain, and they have issued flood warnings for flash floods, urban flooding, and moderate river flooding.
• Yesterday, just before 8 a.m. ET, the hurricane, made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend.

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Hurricane season is here │ Tips to keep you and your family safe

Idalia, which is now a Category 2 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, is expected to make landfall early on Wednesday in the sparsely populated Big Bend area where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula with sustained winds of up to 120 mph (193 kph). The outcome could strike a serious blow to a state that is still recuperating from Hurricane Ian’s effects from the previous year.

Idalia is deemed “an unprecedented event” by the National Weather Service in Tallahassee since no major hurricane has ever been known to travel across the bay that borders the Big Bend region.

According to the Weather Channel, if the peak surge and high tide occur at the same time, the water could rise to the following levels:

-Aucilla River, Florida, to Chassahowitzka, Florida: 10-15 feet

-Yankeetown to Chassahowitzka, Florida: 7-11 feet

-Chassahowitzka, Florida, to Anclote River, Florida: 6-9 feet

-Ochlockonee River, Florida, to Aucilla River, Florida: 6-9 feet

-Anclote River, Florida, to middle of Longboat Key, Florida: 4-7 feet

-Tampa Bay: 4-7 feet

-Carrabelle, Florida, to Ochlockonee, Florida: 4-7 feet

-Middle of Longboat Key, Florida, to Englewood, Florida: 3-5 feet

In Florida and the Southeast, flooding rain is predicted:

Heavier rain is predicted to start later on Tuesday and last through Thursday in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas. In some places, that will probably result in localized flash flooding.

According to the National Hurricane Center, amounts of 12 inches are likely, close to landfall in northern Florida, for portions of the west coast of Florida, the Florida Panhandle, southeast Georgia, and the eastern Carolinas.

Destructive winds will extend far from the center:

A lot of power disruptions and downed trees could occur in areas where storm warnings are in place. The further inland reach of those more widespread outages may reach northeast Florida and southeast Georgia. From other areas of Florida to the coastal Carolinas, at least isolated power outages and some tree damage might be anticipated.

Midweek tornadoes are another risk.
A few tornadoes may form on Tuesday along the coast of west-central Florida ahead of Idalia, and by Tuesday night, they will have expanded into the Big Bend region.

A few tornadoes might still threaten portions of northern Florida on Wednesday morning, and they could later develop along the Southeast coast. 

It is advised to assess and prepare your hurricane protection strategies while keeping up with the most recent forecast revisions.

If you would like to learn various tips on how to keep you and your family safe during a hurricane, please visit our latest blog here: https://cwilsonlaw.com/hurricane-season