Florida Begins Recovery Tasks After the Idalia Passage

On Thursday, the authorities of the state of Florida turned to rescue and recovery efforts in the areas hardest hit by Idalia, which entered the United States as a category 3 hurricane on Wednesday and is currently moving over the Atlantic as a tropical storm.

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Idalia Makes Landfall in Florida as a Major Hurricane

Idalia made landfall with sustained winds of 125 miles per hour in Keaton Beach, a predominantly rural area that suffered significant damage, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at a news briefing accompanied by Deanne Criswill, the administrator of the Federal Water Management Agency. Emergencies (FEMA).

Until Wednesday night, state emergency teams had managed to rescue some 40 people who were trapped in houses or flooded areas. Currently, the priority is to ensure that no one is left stranded in any of the impacted communities.

In the area known as the "Big Bend" there are over 140,000 homes and buildings that are still without power. DeSantis said some 40,000 workers are on the ground to continue repairing or replacing impacted power line poles.

While Tampa Bay spared the worst of the cyclone, images continue to surface today of devastating flooding from the record-breaking storm surge Idalia brought to Ceday Key, where sea rose nearly 8 feet above from its normal level.

Idalia became the first major hurricane to enter Apalachee Bay since modern record-keeping started in 1851, according to the U.S. National Weather Service office in Tallahassee, the capital city of Florida. Currently, Idalia is lashing Georgia.

President Joe Biden has mobilized over 1,500 federal personnel and more than 540 urban search and rescue team personnel who are on the ground.