Hurricane Idalia storm surge flooding Florida Gulf coast communities
CEDAR KEY - Hurricane Idalia unleashed life-threatening storm surges and rainfall in an area not accustomed to such pummeling.
Idalia came ashore in the lightly populated Keaton Beach area of Taylor County at 7:45 a.m. as a high-end Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph.
The storm brought flooding to the streets of Tampa and other communities.
"The flooding of the streets, even in normal storms, seems like a pretty big issue here. This makes it much more of a bigger issue and I feel bad for folks who maybe don't have a couple of stories that had to evacuate or they're stuck in their homes," said Tampa resident Patrick Jarvis.
Cedar Key Fire Rescue posted on Facebook that the streets are flooded.
"We are going to need everyone's patience. We are being told that the tide will continue to come in till noon. Most of the streets around the downtown area are underwater. We cannot get out at this time to see just how bad things are. Please do not come to Cedar Key. We will let everyone know when roads are open so you can come to town safely. The video attached is more than an hour old now and the tide is still coming hard. We have no power."
Florida residents living in vulnerable coastal areas were ordered to pack up and leave as Idalia gained strength in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. And those who didn't were warned to find a safe place while the storm moves through.
"Don't put your life at risk by doing anything dumb at this point," Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Wednesday morning. "This thing's powerful. If you're inside, just hunker down until it gets past you."
Storm surge could rise as high as 15 feet in some places.
Diane Flowers was sound asleep at 1 a.m. Wednesday in her Wakulla County home while her husband watched the weather on TV. When the storm was upgraded to a Category 4, they received a text from their son, a firefighter/EMT in Franklin County, which is also along the Gulf Coast.
"He said, 'You guys need to leave,'" Flowers said. "And he's not one for overreacting, so when he told us to leave, we just packed our stuff, got in our car and got going."
They quickly packed a few clothes, their medicine, dog food for their two border collies, a computer, important documents and a bag of Cheetos and went searching for a place to stay, and ended up in Dothan, Alabama.
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. The state, still dealing with lingering damage from last year's Hurricane Ian, feared disastrous results.
But not everyone was heeding the warning to leave.
Andy Bair, owner of the Island Hotel on Cedar Key, said he intended to "babysit" his bed-and-breakfast, which predates the Civil War. The building has not flooded in the almost 20 years he has owned it, not even when Hurricane Hermine flooded the city in 2016.
"Being a caretaker of the oldest building in Cedar Key, I just feel kind of like I need to be here," Bair said. "We've proven time and again that we're not going to wash away. We may be a little uncomfortable for a couple of days, but we'll be OK eventually."
Idalia had grown into a Category 2 system on Tuesday afternoon and became a Category 3 just hours earlier Wednesday before strengthening to a Category 4 and then weakening slightly to a high-end Category 3. 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.
Hurricanes are measured on a five category scale, with a Category 5 being the strongest. A Category 3 storm is the first on the scale considered a major hurricane and the National Hurricane Center says a Category 4 storm brings "catastrophic damage."
Tolls were waived on highways out of the danger area, shelters were open and hotels prepared to take in evacuees. More than 30,000 utility workers were gathering to make repairs as quickly as possible in the hurricane's wake. About 5,500 National Guard troops were activated.
In Tarpon Springs, a coastal community northwest of Tampa, 60 patients were evacuated from a hospital out of concern that the system could bring a 7-foot storm surge.
Idalia was expected to weaken as it moved inland but it was still expected to be a hurricane while moving across southern Georgia later Wednesday, the hurricane center said. It would then reach the Carolinas. Both Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced states of emergency, freeing up state resources and personnel, including hundreds of National Guard troops.
Idalia pummeled Cuba with heavy rains on Monday and Tuesday, leaving the tobacco-growing province of Pinar del Rio underwater and many of its residents without power.
"The priority is to reestablish power and communications and keep an eye on the agriculture: Harvest whatever can be harvested and prepare for more rainfall," President Miguel Díaz-Canel said in a meeting with government officials Tuesday.
State media did not report any deaths or major damage.
Asked about the hurricane Tuesday, President Joe Biden said he had spoken to DeSantis and "provided him with everything that he possibly needs."
Ian was responsible last year for almost 150 deaths. The Category 5 hurricane damaged 52,000 structures, nearly 20,000 of which were destroyed or severely damaged.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently said the 2023 hurricane season would be far busier than initially forecast, partly because of extremely warm ocean temperatures. The season runs through Nov. 30, with August and September typically the peak.
