Two Fatalities Reported as Idalia Causes Widespread Catastrophe

Updated 2:19pm August 30th

As Hurricane Idalia tore through the north Gulf Coast of Florida, it brought with it destructive winds and storm surge. While search and rescue crews are at the ready, two deaths have already been reported due to the storm.

Two Fatalities

The heavy rain and and life-threatening storm surge was forecast to pose several risks for anyone attempting to travel through the storm.

In Pasco County, a 40-year old man was driving in the storm when he lost control of his vehicle and collided with a tree, reported the Florida Highway Patrol. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

The second fatality was a 59-year old man in Alachua County who was driving through "extremely rainy conditions" and crashed his car into a ditch.

Who Will See the Effects of Idalia?

For the remainder of Wednesday and into Thursday, Idalia is expected to impact many areas with heavy rain, gusty winds, and storm surge.

Tallahassee, Florida will see hurricane conditions through Wednesday afternoon, along with torrential downpours and winds at least 50 mph.
Gainesville, Florida will see tropical storm conditions, with a possibility of hurricane conditions up until Wednesday evening. This includes a possibility of thunderstorms, heavy rain, flooding, wind gusts over 50 mph, and tornadoes.
Savannah, Georgia will see tropical storm conditions into Wednesday night, and 3-5 feet of storm surge is possible. Heavy rain could lead to more flooding and isolated tornadoes are possible.
Although Atlanta, Georgia may be out of Idalia's strike zone, this area may still see rain, thunderstorms, and winds up to 20 mph.
Charleston, South Carolina could see tropical storm conditions through Thursday morning, along with 3-5 feet of storm surge, and isolated tornadoes.
Wilmington, North Carolina is expected to see some effects from Idalia such as tropical storm conditions into Thursday, storm surge of up to 3 feet, heavy rain, and flooding.

Image provided by NOAA

When Did Idalia Hit?

Hurricane Idalia made landfall at Keaton Beach at 7:45am on Wednesday morning, bringing winds of 125 mph, making it a Category 3 hurricane after briefing weakening from a Category 4.

Coming in at 110 mph, Hurricane Idalia was soon categorized as a Category 2, according to the National Hurricane Center.

As Idalia makes its way into Georgia at a lower but still significant 85 mph, it has been downgraded to a Category 1, still bringing enough force to cause widespread damage.

Taking Refuge

Over 4,000 people in the strike zone area have taken shelter in Red Cross shelters. According to online data from the Red Cross, the largest population in the one shelter is in Largo, Florida with 442 people.

The Red Cross is still continuing to open 100 more shelters for others who need it.

Power Outages

As of 2:30pm Wednesday, over 266,000 are without power, according to poweroutage.us. As soon as it was safe to do so, utility workers were doing everything they could to help get power back on for those affected.

Bridge Closures

Sunshine Skyway Bridge is closed to all traffic due to excessive wind.
Northbound lanes of Howard Frankland Bridge are shut down to all traffic due to storm surge and flooding.
Eastbound lanes of the Courtney Campbell Causeway are closed due to storm surge and flooding.

Road Closures

Westbound lanes of W 75th Street and Manatee Avenue in Bradenton closed due to water on the road.
N Tamiami Trail and Fruitville Road in Sarasota are closed due to flooding.
Southbound Interstate 275 at mile marker 28 in St. Petersburg is closed due to flooding in the inside lane.
Palma Sola Causeway is closed due to water over the road.
Access shut down to John's Pass as sand and water are currently covering the road.
U.S. 41 from Fruitville Road to Main Street in Sarasota has been closed due to flooding.

Although Hurricane Idalia made landfall north of Southwest Florida, many roads in the area have still been affected. The US 41 North Bridge in Port Charlotte, Florida, and US Highway 41 South Bridge in Punta Gorda, Florida, have been shut down due to flooded roadways.

Traffic that is attempting to exit Interstate 75 at some exits are being redirected due to flooding.

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