TAMPA, FLORIDA: Hurricane Idalia has claimed the lives of at least two people in Florida.
It ravaged northern parts of the state and south Georgia with winds blowing at an alarming speed of up to 90 mph alongside heavy downpours and bunging seawater into flooded cities.
Besides, several major bridges connecting Florida islands to the mainland are now beyond access as the Category 3 storm's vicious wrath across the state now poses a significant threat to coastal Georgia and South Carolina with intense flooding, characterized by ferocious winds and tornadoes.
The massive storm now lashes a 250-mile swath of the Southeast.
How were the two men killed?
According to Florida Highway Patrol Sgt Steve Gaskins, at least two men were killed in separate weather-related car crashes on Wednesday, August 30.
Their tragic demise marks the first reported fatalities linked to Hurricane Idalia.
On Wednesday morning, Idalia slammed Florida’s Big Bend area, the nook between the panhandle and peninsula, near Keaton Beach at a dangerous Category 3 strength.
That part of the Gulf Coast has not witnessed such deadly storm surges and wind gusts for at least 125 years.
The vulnerable condition of Cedar Key
In the island city of Cedar Key, a record water level was shattered amid eight to nine feet of storm surge and the water is still rising first.
It is estimated to hurl seawater as high as halfway up the second floor of an average building.
Water levels on the Steinhatchee River in the Big Bend town of the same name rose more than nine feet in about two hours Wednesday morning.
It reached more than eight feet higher than the normal highest tides and breaks by a foot, the record which was set during Hurricane Hermine in 2016.
Parts of Tampa, St Petersburg, and Fort Myers Beach also have been engulfed by wind-whipped seawater and torrential rain.
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue issues a statement
“We fear that residents will walk outside, see it’s sunny outside and think everything’s fine. But there’s more water coming,” warned Rob Herrin, spokesperson for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.
“There’s still so many hazards after the winds and rains have cleared,” he continued.
The devastating state of Cedar Key
Cedar Key, even prior to the landfall, appeared to be “almost apocalyptic,” resident Michael Bobbitt said early Wednesday.
The disastrous storm surge had overwhelmed it just hours later. “We’re effectively cut off from the world now,” Bobbit said.
“It’s going to get a lot worse, and I’m really fearful for what we’re going to find in some of the low-lying areas and some of our older, more infirm citizens today,” he further said.
At least 11 tornado warnings were already issued
A tornado watch was in place for nearly 12 million people across central and northern Florida and southeast Georgia until 3 pm on Wednesday.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that destruction is possible far behind Idalia’s forecast cone.
"At least 11 tornado warnings were already issued with more possibility even in places way outside the cone that you see on your TV screens,” he said.
Hurricane Idalia disrupts air travel
Airlines had to cancel almost 900 flights on Wednesday as Hurricane Idalia closed airports in Florida and disrupted air travel across the South in advance of a busy holiday weekend.
Carriers, airports and the Federal Aviation Administration began preparing for the storm’s arrival early in the week.
Tampa International Airport shut down its operations on Tuesday as teams moved aircraft and other equipment out of harm’s way.
Southwest Airlines, which has a heavy presence in Florida, shut down 200 flights Wednesday with Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines canceling another 150, according to data from tracking service FlightAware.
Which counties have been evacuated?
Alachua, Baker, Citrus, Dixie, Franklin, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Nassau, Pasco, Pinellas, Putnam, Sarasota, Suwannee, Sumter, Taylor, Union, Volusia, and Wakulla have all issued evacuation orders, with some making it mandatory.
An emergency declaration covers 49 of 67 Florida counties.
More than 270,000 people were without electricity
According to CNN, more than 270,000 homes were without electricity as trees snapped by strong winds brought down power lines.
In Tallahassee, Florida's capital city, the power went out well before the center of the storm arrived.
Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey requested everyone to shelter in place as it can be a major risk going outside.
