© Reuters. A view of a vehicle partially submerged in a canal after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, U.S., August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Cheney Orr
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By Julio-Cesar Chavez, Marco Bello and Brendan O’Brien
HORSESHOE BEACH, Florida (Reuters) -Tropical Storm Idalia drenched the Carolinas on Thursday with torrential rain that threatened to trigger flash flooding, while officials in Florida, where the tempest made landfall as a major hurricane, stepped up recovery and damage-appraisal efforts.
A day after plowing ashore at Keaton Beach in Florida’s Big Bend region, packing Category 3 winds of nearly 125 miles per hour (201 kph), Idalia weakened from a tropical storm to a post-tropical cyclone and drifted away from shore into the Atlantic.
At the height of its fury on Wednesday, Idalia ravaged a wide swath of low-lying and largely rural landscape and forced emergency teams, some in boats, to rescue dozens of residents who became trapped by floodwaters.
The storm brought fierce winds and drove surging seawater miles inland, strewing the area with fallen trees, power lines and debris. Many buildings were in shambles, and power outages were widespread.
The storm ranked as the most powerful hurricane in more than a century to strike the Big Bend region, a sparsely populated area laced with marshland, rivers and springs where the state’s northern Gulf Coast panhandle curves into the western side of the Florida Peninsula.
The damage and loss of life were less than many had feared, with authorities confirming three deaths linked to the storm in Florida and another in Georgia.
Even as Idalia headed out to sea on the Atlantic coast, the back end of the storm system was producing downpours that could bring up to 10 inches (25 cm) in some spots along the coastline of North and South Carolina, the National Weather Service said.
‘THE HOUSE IS STILL THERE’
Horseshoe Beach, a Florida community about 30 miles south of landfall, was among those that bore the brunt of Idalia’s impact. Video footage showed scattered remnants of trailer homes sheared from bare concrete foundations. Other trailer homes had toppled and slid into lagoons, and boat docks were reduced to piles of splintered lumber.
John “Sparky” Abrandt, a 77-year-old retiree who lives in the community, said he nevertheless felt relieved when he saw the damage to his home, even though the windows were blown out and household items scattered about.
“I’m feeling great. The house is still here,” he said.
Local, state and federal authorities said they expected to assess the full extent of damage in the days ahead. Insured property losses in Florida were projected to run $9.36 billion, according to investment bank UBS.
“We’ve seen a lot of heart-breaking damage,” Governor Ron DeSantis said during an afternoon news briefing after touring three communities near where the storm made landfall.
President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for several hard-hit Florida counties, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director Deanne Criswell said after touring the area with DeSantis. Biden said he plans to visit some of the storm-stricken areas on Saturday.
Despite heavy damage to homes in many coastal communities, Idalia proved far less destructive than Hurricane Ian, a Category 5 storm that struck Florida last September, killing 150 people and causing $112 billion in property losses.
By contrast, Idalia’s storm surge – considered the greatest hazard posed by major hurricanes – appeared to have caused no deaths.
The Florida Highway Patrol reported two motorists died in rain-related crashes before landfall, and there were two other confirmed storm-related traffic deaths, one in Florida and one in Georgia.
DeSantis credited the accuracy of storm forecasts for helping save lives, notably projections days before its arrival of where Idalia would make landfall. As a consequence, most residents in vulnerable locations had safely moved to higher ground.
“People, particularly in this area – who were in the way of a potential significant storm surge – they did take the proper precautions,” he said.
In Horseshoe Beach, Austin “Buddy” Daniel Ellison, 39, and his father Ronald Daniel Ellison, walked through the ruins of Ed’s Baitshop, the family’s business. Nearby, their home was badly damaged.
“I ain’t never seen one like this, my Dad never seen one like this,” Buddy Ellison said.
The family was grateful that timely evacuation meant no one was hurt. But the Ellisons said they lacked insurance and will have to leave the area where their family has deep roots.
“This storm is forcing us out of here,” Ronald Ellison said. “We won’t survive.”
RISK OF FLASH FLOODING
The National Weather Service said heavy rainfall in the Carolinas would diminish Thursday afternoon but warned of possible life-threatening flash flooding, especially in low-lying areas and along rivers, through the evening. Storm surge watches were also in effect for several oceanfront communities as fierce winds remained in the forecast.
Across the Southeast, electricity outages from fallen trees, utility poles and power lines were widespread. In all, more than 175,000 homes and businesses were without power in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas on Thursday, according to Poweroutage.us.
Florida officials said crews would restore most of the state’s electricity within 48 hours.
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