Four dead and thousands without power after Hurricane Isaias lashes US

Four individuals have died and hundreds of thousands are without power after Hurricane Isaias battered parts of the southern US with powerful winds and heavy rain.

Key points

• Along with Isaias, Tropical Storm Rachel is projected to hit southern California afterwards on Saturday, and Hurricane Simon will hit the Pacific coast of Mexico on Sunday.
• Isaias created landfall in Florida on late Friday with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour (168 km/h) before being downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone.
• In Charleston, South Carolina, authorities asked residents to stay home on Saturday night as high tide is projected to reach 7.5ft (2.3m).
• At least 600, 000 individuals were without power in a number of states as of Saturday afternoon, according to poweroutage.us.
• A woman was killed after a tree fell on her house, local Sheriff Chip Simmons remarked.

Authorities noted two deaths each in the states of Alabama and Florida. It included individuals who were killed after trees fell on their houses.

For context, the storm felled trees and damaged houses. While both Florida and Alabama issued mandatory evacuation orders to thousands of individuals, alabama, Florida and Georgia all declared states of emergency ahead of its arrival.

Two deaths were documented in Florida's Escambia County. A woman was killed after a tree fell on her house, local Sheriff Chip Simmons remarked.

Joey Williams informed NewsNation his wife had died in the storm. When they went back into their home, a tree fell through the roof and trapped them, he remarked they went outside to snap pictures of the damage but.

"I was able to squeeze out. My wife didn't create it, " Williams informed the outlet.

According to Simmons afterwards, a man had died from carbon monoxide poisoning after running a generator in a garage that was not properly ventilated. Four other individuals who were in the same house were taken to hospital.

Authorities had to rescue residents in vehicles that were submerged by flood waters. In a post on X, the Florida National Guard shared pictures of a truck stuck in a flood ditch, saying soldiers "stopped, swam to the vehicle and pulled its occupants to safety".

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis remarked flooding was a continued risk and cautioned of a "very hazardous situation".

In neighbouring Alabama, a sheriff was injured when a tree fell on him as he was responding to a car crash.

"Unfortunately, we have also learned that two Alabamians have lost their lives, " Governor Kay Ivey remarked in a post on X, without giving further details on the circumstances of the deaths.

She additionally stated authorities were concerned concerning "spinoff tornadoes" in the state from the solid winds and heavy rain.

"As we approach the weekend and any travel plans, make sure you have reliable information as conditions develop, " she remarked.

"After dark, floodwater is much harder to see, and it's impossible to judge how deep it is from behind the wheel, " the city remarked in a post on Facebook.

For context, the storm is projected to continue to weaken as it travels to the north-east, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) cautioned the Carolinas and Georgia could see floods from up to 10 inches (25cm) of rainfall.

Hurricane Isaias was the first hurricane in the Atlantic's hurricane season. It largely has been delayed due to El Niño conditions in the Pacific.

Taken together, the developments around four dead and thousands without power after Hurricane Isaias lashes US point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.