Hurricane Idalia strengthened to a Category 3 as it made landfall in Florida, bringing destructive storm surge and disastrous winds.
“Maximum sustained winds were estimated to be 125 mph,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Catastrophic storm surge and damaging winds ongoing.”
7:45 AM EDT update: Extremely dangerous Category 3 Hurricane #Idalia makes landfall in the Florida Big Bend. Maximum sustained winds were estimated to be 125 mph. Catastrophic storm surge and damaging winds ongoing. pic.twitter.com/umMdj8dD5d
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 30, 2023
The NHC said the “eye of Idalia made landfall along the coast of the Florida Big Bend” close to Keaton Beach at 7:45 a.m.
Residents throughout Florida, and along the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina were warned of flooding, high winds, and tornadoes.
Some users shared videos on social media capturing the flooding as a result of the storm.
WARNING: The following video/tweet/etc. contains vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.
#HurricaneIdalia#sarasota #starmendscircle#lido pic.twitter.com/AdDP2lBLrj
— Justin Junda (@philipjunda) August 30, 2023
Several county sheriff’s offices and police departments such as the Perry Police Department, the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, and the Treasure Island Police Department issued warnings to residents to shelter in place or evacuate ahead of Idalia’s landfall.
“We’ve also worked with the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association to make sure that all hotels will allow you to bring your pets…Please take care of your pets. Very, very important. They need you." pic.twitter.com/Bf0NlKyQzM
— Team DeSantis (@TeamDeSantis) August 29, 2023
During a press conference on Tuesday, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis advised pet owners to “take” their pets with them and noted that hotels will allow people to bring their pets with them.
DeSantis confirmed that Florida had “pre-staged” tens of thousands of utility linemen to assist with restoring power, and had mobilized about 5,500 National Guardsmen. The Florida governor has also advised residents to heed warnings of evacuation, according to Politico.