Hurricane Idalia unleashes fury on Florida and Georgia
FLORIDA, United States (AP) – 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 before sweeping into Georgia.
Almost 438,000 customers in Florida and Georgia lost power while rushing water covered streets near the coast. As the eye moved inland, high winds shredded signs, sent sheet metal flying and snapped tall trees.
Idalia came ashore in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula. It made landfall near Keaton Beach at 7:45 am as a high-end Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph (205 kph).
There were no confirmed storm deaths in Florida, although fatal traffic accidents in two counties may end up being storm-related, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at a news conference
