Hurricane Idalia REVERSES Steinhatchee River as ships are seen smashing into overpass after being ripped from their moorings – and devastated Florida homeowners break down amid fears they’ve lost everything
Hurricane Idalia had such strong winds at its peak when it hit Florida with winds of 125 mph that it managed to reverse the flow of a river.
The flow of the Steinhatchee River was turned upside down as the then Category 2 storm swept through the county.
Sailboats were ripped from their moorings and their masts flung into a bridge as water was sent back up the river.
Many of the ships were wrecked as they were forced under the structures, and authorities say hundreds of bridges will need repairs in the aftermath of the hurricane.
The water level in the Steinhatchee River rose more than eight feet this morning, according to the National Weather Service.
The flow of the Steinhatchee River was upended as the then Category 2 storm swept through the county
Idealia made landfall in Florida on Wednesday like a Category 3 storm and unleashed devastation along much of the Gulf Coast, flooding homes and vehicles.
Streets spilled into rivers, causing small boats to break free and power lines to crash in an area that had never been hit so hard.
More than 330,000 customers in Florida and Georgia were without electricity while coastal streets were flooded.
As the eye moved inland, the high wind tore up plates, sent sheet metal flying and broke tall trees.
Idalia came ashore the sparsely populated Big Bend regionwhere the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula.
It made landfall near Keaton Beach at 7:45 a.m. as a high-end Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of nearly 125 mph.
The system remained a hurricane as it moved into Georgia with top winds of 150 mph after largely drenching Florida east of Tallahassee. Forecasters said it would punish the Carolinas like a tropical storm overnight.
Some models had predicted that Idalia could circle back south toward land after that, but the National Hurricane Center predicted it would move deeper into the Atlantic this weekend.
Sailboats were torn from their moorings and their masts flung into a bridge as water was sent back up the river
A flooded street can be seen near the Steinhatchee marina, showing a paddle boat being flung out of the water onto a road
Many of the ships were destroyed as they were forced under the structures as authorities say hundreds of bridges need repairs in the aftermath of the hurricane.
A boat is stranded near the road of the city of Jena, after Hurricane Idalia made landfall near Keaton Beach
In the town of Perry, winds blew out shop windows, ripped siding off buildings and knocked over a gas station canopy. Interstate 275 in Tampa was partially flooded and the downed power lines closed northbound Interstate 75 just south of Valdosta, Georgia.
About 200 miles south of where Idalia made landfall, the roads around the upscale shops and restaurants of St. Armands Circle in the Sarasota area were flooded.
Stunned by the flooding that turned Tampa’s Bayshore Boulevard into a river, Bill Hall spotted a paddleboarder riding along the main road.
“This is actually incredible,” Hall said. “I haven’t seen anything like it in years.”
In Tallahassee, Florida’s capital, power went out long before the center of the storm arrived.
Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey called on everyone to take shelter at the scene. Florida residents living in vulnerable coastal areas had been ordered to pack up and leave as Idalia gained strength in the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico.
Casey DeSantis shared the shocking image of a 100-year-old oak tree that fell on the Florida governor’s mansion while she and the kids were home
David Rudd helps Steve Odom (L) carry a kayak through the flooded streets to his porch
A gas station was completely toppled by the strengthening winds from Hurricane Idalia
Makatla Ritchter (L) and her mother, Keiphra Line, wade through floodwaters after having to evacuate their home
“At this point, don’t put your life at risk by doing anything stupid,” Governor Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Wednesday. “This thing is powerful. If you’re in, just sit there until it’s past you.”
A storm surge can be as high as 4.9 meters in some places. Some counties introduced curfews to keep residents off the road.
Diane Flowers was asleep at her home in Wakulla County at 1 a.m. Wednesday, but her husband was watching the weather on TV when he got a text from their son after the storm was upgraded to Category 4.
“He said, ‘You have to go,'” Flowers said. “And he’s not one to exaggerate, so when he told us to leave, we just packed up, got in the car and hit the road.”
They quickly packed some clothes, medicine, food for their two border collies, a computer, important documents and a bag of Cheetos. The motels were full all the way to Alabama, where they finally found a room in Dothan.
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented occurrence” as no major hurricanes have ever passed through the bay adjacent to Big Bend.
The state, still dealing with persistent damage from last year’s Hurricane Ianfeared disastrous results.
Marion County Fire Rescue Firefighter Jacob Knobbe, left, carries a chainsaw as Lieutenant Daniel Smith, center, clears bushes after a single car crash
Two homes were destroyed by fire on August 30 during Hurricane Idalia in Hudson, Florida
Waves crash on the Flagler Pier Wednesday, after Hurricane Idalia made landfall in the Big Bend area Wednesday morning
A toppled utility pole after Hurricane Idalia made landfall near Keaton Beach
Not everyone heeded the warnings to leave, and Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said authorities couldn’t guarantee rescues for people who didn’t evacuate because coastal roads would only get more flooded as the tides brought in more water. push inland.
“It’s not going to do anything but rise from here,” Nienhuis, whose county is north of the Tampa region, said Wednesday.
Idalia grew into a Category 2 system on Tuesday and a Category 3 storm on Wednesday before peaking as a Category 4 hurricane. Then it weakened slightly.
On highways leaving the danger area, tolls were lifted and shelters opened. More than 30,000 utility workers gathered to make repairs as quickly as possible in the aftermath of the hurricane. About 5,500 National Guard troops were activated.
Both Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency, freeing up state resources and personnel, including hundreds of National Guard troops.
When he finished tying up about twenty sailboats and motor yachts docked on Wilmington Island east of Savannah, Georgia, Brandon Long said his main concern was that the storm surge was expected to coincide with a higher-than-normal tide.
“When these docks float off their masts or fall apart because of the strong currents and choppy waters, it destroys a marina,” says Long, owner of the Bull River Marina.
When asked about the hurricane Tuesday, President Joe Biden said he had spoken to DeSantis and “given him everything he could possibly need.”
Ian was responsible for it last year nearly 150 dead. That Category 5 hurricane damaged 52,000 structures, of which nearly 20,000 were destroyed or severely damaged.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said recently the 2023 hurricane season would be much busier than initially predicted, in part due to extremely warm ocean temperatures. The season runs through November 30, with August and September usually being the peak.