Hurricane Idalia plowed into Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday with howling winds, torrential rains and pounding surf, then weakened as it turned its fury on south-eastern Georgia, where floodwaters trapped some residents in their homes.
The powerful storm, which the National Hurricane Center (NHC) called "an unprecedented event", made landfall shortly after daybreak with 160mph gusts near Keaton Beach on Florida’s Gulf coast.
Idalia grew from a tropical storm into a hurricane early on Tuesday, a day after passing west of Cuba, where it damaged homes and flooded villages.
In Florida, it pushed inland a storm surge of up to 16ft, submerging small coastal communities and setting record high water levels across a wide area stretching 200 miles south to Tampa.
#Idaliahurricane #Idaliaflorida #Idaliacuba ~HT.99~ED.153~ED.101~
