Today, Governor Ron DeSantis was joined by Attorney General James Uthmeier, Major General John D. Haas, and other officials at the State Emergency Operations Center to provide updates on Florida’s ongoing response and recovery efforts following Hurricane Isaias.
According to Florida officials, Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin at approximately 9:30pm EDT on Friday, October 9th, as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. Wind gusts reached 116 mph near Santa Rosa Sound and 100 mph near Pensacola, while water levels in Panama City Beach rose approximately 5.6 feet above the average high tide level. Following landfall, Isaias moved north through the western Florida Panhandle into southern Alabama, weakening into a post-tropical cyclone early Saturday morning.
Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 26-202, amending EO-26-212 and declaring a state of emergency for 27 Florida counties. FEMA also announced that the emergency declaration from Florida for Hurricane Isaias was approved by the President.
Ahead of Hurricane Isaias, more than 16,000 linemen and restoration personnel were positioned in preparation for the storm, allowing power restoration efforts to begin as soon as conditions permitted. As of 7am, there were approximately 448,298 customer accounts without power statewide. Restoration crews continue working around the clock to restore power as quickly and safely as possible, prioritizing the hardest-hit communities.
Some of the Florida preparedness and public safety response includes:
Florida State Guard
The Florida State Guard (FSG) has deployed nearly 400 soldiers to assist with recovery efforts, including preliminary damage assessments, route clearance, points of distribution (POD) operations, and air, ground, and maritime search and rescue support.
The Crisis Response Battalion (CRB) has four amphibious rescue actively supporting rescue operations, accessing difficult or flooded terrain, and moving responders and supplies.
FSG’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) unit has seven teams actively providing search and rescue support, aerial reconnaissance, mapping, and imagery collection for route assessment, documentation of storm impacts, and response planning.
The Aviation Response Squadron has five FSG aircraft (three rotary-wing and two fixed-wing) and aircrews prepared to support preliminary damage assessments, search and rescue operations, and mapping of impacted areas.
The Maritime Response Squadron has eight shallow-water boat teams prepared to support preliminary damage assessments and search and rescue operations. FSG is actively working four missions at the request of Panhandle counties:
An FSG fixed-wing aircraft will transmit live aerial footage along Florida’s west coast from Citrus to Franklin County to the SEOC while dually working to identify large debris and derelict vessels.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s (FDLE) Emergency Preparedness Bureau is actively coordinating the state law enforcement response to affected areas.
FDLE is coordinating assets to impacted areas from Hurricane Isaias, including equipment and mobile command posts, backup satellite and communications systems, and aviation assets at strategic locations. Portable towers are staged for emergency communications.
FDLE has prepared the following equipment:
FDLE aviation assets are ready for deployment to assist with damage assessments and law enforcement support for impacted areas.
FDLE is monitoring recovery needs from Hurricane Isaias to assess personnel deployment to impacted areas and the potential activation of mobile command posts and base camps.
FDLE has identified internal incident management teams to support FDLE’s Pensacola Regional Operations Center (PROC), ensuring it remains operational and ready to support affected areas. PROC staff will be embedded at the local Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to support law enforcement missions in the area.
FDLE is coordinating fuel services along Interstate 10 for local law enforcement. First responder refueling locations have been identified along the Interstate 10 corridor.
FDLE is coordinating the staging of two urban search and rescue teams from South Florida in Tallahassee.
FDLE is coordinating with the Florida Sheriff’s Association (FSA) and Florida Police Chief’s Association (FPCA) to contact all the impacted local and county law enforcement agencies in the impacted areas to identify outstanding needs.
FDLE is coordinating with FHP to assess road closures, bridge closures, and escorts of needed supplies and essential personnel to affected areas.
FDLE is monitoring multiple outages of non-emergency systems, 911 systems, and state law enforcement radio systems. FDLE is coordinating law enforcement radio resources to impacted agencies.
Florida Department of Military Affairs
The Florida National Guard (FLNG) has approximately 5,000 Soldiers and Airmen activated, staged throughout impact area. Units are conducting search and rescue, route clearance, ground and air reconnaissance, humanitarian assistance (HA), protection of critical infrastructure, flood mitigation missions as well as supporting state and local officials with high-wheeled vehicle support.
The FLNG has established Liaison Officers in 16 counties and 13 route clearance teams to immediately respond following landfall.
FLNG is equipped with assets including high-wheeled vehicles, helicopters, boats, and generators. FLNG is preparing for potential missions, including humanitarian assistance, security operations, route clearance, search and rescue, and other response efforts.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has readied high-water vehicles and other storm-response resources statewide so they can be rapidly deployed to assist Floridians in the event of damage or flooding. Contingency plans based on forecasted landfall locations have been developed and remain flexible based on the storm’s projected path.
Two separate teams of officers will travel from staged area to affected areas with high water side-by-sides and vessels at first light.
Additional officers stand ready to respond with specialized equipment as necessary, including:
FWC has identified multiple teams of officers from areas of the state unlikely to be severely affected by the storm for deployment to areas that may be seriously impacted, supplementing local FWC officers already assigned to affected areas.
FWC Special Operations Group teams will serve as reconnaissance units for the State EOC and report on damage after the storm has made landfall.
FWC’s Aviation Section has been placed on standby and has readied appropriate aircraft for potential deployment to assist the EOC with aerial reconnaissance and post-storm damage assessments.
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) troopers are actively supporting response and recovery operations by clearing roadways, escorting critical supplies, and assisting utility restoration crews.
FHP has deployed cut teams to impacted areas to remove debris and downed trees obstructing roadways.
Four FHP units are escorting FDOT vehicles and equipment into impacted areas of Escambia County, clearing downed trees along I-10 along the way.
FHP troopers are also conducting traffic control along U.S. Highway 98 due to severe flooding.
FHP is providing escorts for critical resources and restoration equipment, including:
FHP has deployed 30 members of its Quick Response Force (QRF) to Jackson County to assist with roadway clearance, cut-and-toss operations, and emergency response.
More than 300 QRF troopers statewide remain ready to respond as needed.
Additional FHP personnel and equipment are staged and ready to support ongoing recovery operations, including:
Nine FHP sworn members are currently staffing activated County Emergency Operations Centers to support coordination with local officials.
Additionally, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) has issued an emergency order to facilitate response and recovery operations.
Florida Department of Transportation
FDOT has over 1,100 team members activated for storm response.
Over 260 pieces of heavy equipment are in the field and working through various missions.
A total of 1,400 generators and 100 pumps are being deployed as needed.
30 UAV teams are actively conducting damage and flooding assessments.
All state-owned bridges are open for travel.
Cut & Toss crews are actively clearing arterial roadways for emergency responders, utility restoration, and supplies.
All interstates have been cleared and open for travel.
40 Cut and Toss teams cleared I-10 before 6am.
Cut and Toss crews cleared and opened U.S. 98 by 6am.
Traffic signal assessments are underway. Crews are actively deploying generators to restore traffic signals with temporary power.
Crews are currently working on localized flooding east of Brooks Bridge in Okaloosa Island.
FDOT Executive Order is in place to waive standard size and weight restrictions for commercial vehicles transporting fuel, emergency equipment, services, supplies, and agriculture commodities.
Governor DeSantis has waived the suspension of tolls on Mid-Bay Bridge and Spence Parkway in Okaloosa County and Garcon Point Bridge in Santa Rosa County to help facilitate evacuations.
Road and Bridge Closures and Detours
Download the FL511 app or visit FL511.com for real-time road/bridge closures and potential detours. Before heading out, drivers should always follow the direction of local law enforcement and emergency personnel.
Remember to never drive through flooded areas. The roadway beneath the water may conceal debris, or even power lines. Turn Around; Don’t Drown.
Transportation Modes Updates
Seaports
Airports
Latest updates for the following airports:
Some commercial flight cancellations or delays are being reported. Check with airlines directly on specific flight updates.
To learn more about navigating hurricane season, residents can visit FloridaDisaster.org/Guide. For updates on county resources, visit FloridaDisaster.org/Counties for a list of all 67 county emergency management contacts.
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