Current:Home > MarketsIndexbit-Hurricane Idalia's aftermath: South Carolina faces "life-threatening" flood risks -GrowthInsight
Indexbit-Hurricane Idalia's aftermath: South Carolina faces "life-threatening" flood risks
TrendPulse View
Date:2025-04-06 14:51:03
Across the Southeast,Indexbit hundreds of thousands are without power, roads are littered with storm debris and fears over the possibility of severe flooding remain as Idalia, now a tropical storm, continues to batter the region.
The storm made landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday morning, submerging neighborhoods and leaving a trail of debris as it thrashed its way east across Georgia.
What's the latest with today's forecast?
Heavy rainfall, flash flooding and coastal storm surge is expected to continue to impact South Carolina throughout the day, according to a 5 a.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters described the risk of storm surge as possibly "life-threatening."
A supermoon that peaked Wednesday night is expected to exacerbate the range of coastal tides, bringing an added layer of danger. Residents of the Carolinas have also been warned of the risk for tornadoes.
The storm's strength is expected to remain consistent throughout the day. Maximum sustained wind speeds of near 60 mph extend outward from the center of the storm for up to 185 miles, the NHC said.
By late Thursday, the storm is forecast to move offshore and into the Atlantic, leaving the Southeastern states to address the destruction in its wake.
What kind of damage has Idalia caused so far?
The storm made landfall near Keaton Beach, Fla. at about 7:45 a.m. as a Category 3 hurricane with 125 mph winds — tied as the strongest to hit the Big Bend region of the state.
Idalia remained a hurricane as it tore into Georgia with winds at 90 mph, then slowed to a tropical storm as it crossed into South Carolina.
Across the region, heavy rains and gusty winds left hundreds of businesses and entire neighborhoods submerged in water.
Despite mandatory evacuation orders, boat teams in Florida rescued more than 75 people in St. Petersburg and another 60 people from Hudson from several feet of storm surge. A gauge along Big Bend's Steinhatchee River measured an increase from from 1 foot to 8 feet in just an hour, enough to reverse the flow of the river; sailboats, loosed from their moorings, were seen crashing against a traffic bridge.
In South Carolina, the National Weather Service reported "major coastal inundation," including in downtown Charleston where water had broken through the historic seawall, the Charleston battery.
More than 290,000 homes and businesses were still without power across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas as of Thursday morning, according to the monitoring site PowerOutage.us, and broken traffic signals throughout the region are adding another layer of danger to travel conditions.
Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis said over 30,000 linemen were at work trying to restore power in his state alone, but the work could take some time.
What's happening with search and rescue efforts?
Despite the damage, only a handful of deaths have been linked to the hurricane, a sizable contrast to Hurricane Ian, which claimed 149 lives when it pounded Florida last year.
At least one person was killed in Georgia, according to The Associated Press. Meanwhile, Florida Highway Patrol officials said two men were killed in separate rain-related crashes hours before Idalia struck the state.
Gov. DeSantis said Florida officials were vetting "one unconfirmed fatality" as a possible storm-related death, but he didn't say whether it was one of the two Florida deaths reported earlier in the day.
The path of the storm may have helped spare the state some damage. Idalia avoided heavily populated areas as it made landfall in the Big Bend region, a sprawling agricultural region where Florida's panhandle merges with the peninsula.
It appears that most people in impacted areas did heed warnings to evacuate, Gov. DeSantis said at a press briefing on Wednesday. He said search and rescue teams had visited "about 70%" of the areas they needed to check.
As of Wednesday evening, there were no outstanding missing person reports, said Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
This reporting originally appeared in NPR's digital live coverage. NPR's Bobby Allyn, Vanessa Romo, Ayana Archie, Russell Lewis and Rachel Treisman contributed reporting.
veryGood! (63)
Related
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Atlantic storm Lee delivers high winds and rain before forecasters call off warnings in some areas
- NYC day care owner, neighbor arrested after 1-year-old dies and 3 others are sickened by opioids
- AP Top 25: No. 13 Alabama is out of the top 10 for the first time since 2015. Georgia remains No. 1
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- A Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy was shot in his patrol car and is in the hospital, officials say
- Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner removed from Rock Hall leadership after controversial comments
- Alabama high school band director stunned, arrested after refusing to end performance, police say
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Home health provider to lay off 785 workers and leave Alabama, blaming state’s Medicaid policies
Ranking
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- Christian Coleman wins 100 with a world lead time of 9.83 and Noah Lyles takes second.
- Colorado State's Jay Norvell says he was trying to fire up team with remark on Deion Sanders
- Ice-T's Reaction to 7-Year-Old Daughter Chanel's School Crushes Is Ice Cold
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Incarcerated students win award for mental health solution
- Coach for Tom Brady, Drew Brees has radical advice for parents of young athletes
- Son of former Mexican cartel leader El Chapo extradited to U.S.
Recommendation
John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
U.S. border agents are separating migrant children from their parents to avoid overcrowding, inspector finds
Taylor Swift dominates 2023 MTV Video Music Awards
Missing the Emmy Awards? What’s happening with the strike-delayed celebration of television
Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli is going on leave to be with his wife for the birth of twins
Low Mississippi River limits barges just as farmers want to move their crops downriver
North Korean state media says Kim Jong Un discussed arms cooperation with Russian defense minister