Hurricane Isaias has battered the southeastern United States, causing widespread damage including two deaths and power outages affecting hundreds of thousands of households.

According to outlets such as The New York Times (NYT) and CNN on the 10th (local time), Isaias made landfall the previous night with maximum sustained winds of 188 kilometers per hour and torrential rainfall, inflicting damage across inland areas including Florida, Alabama, and Georgia.

It has now weakened into a tropical depression as its maximum sustained winds dropped to around 55 kilometers per hour.

As Isaias struck these regions, the death toll has been tallied at two so far.

In Escambia County, Florida, a falling tree collapsed onto a home, killing one person, and another person died in Birmingham, Alabama, when a tree fell onto a residential house.

Additionally, CNN cited the power outage tracking website PowerOutage to report that as of 10:51 a.m. Eastern Time that day, approximately 870,000 customers experienced power outages, including 438,911 in Florida, 307,743 in Alabama, and 121,191 in Georgia.

Torrential rains, such as 24.5 centimeters of precipitation dumped in the Florida Panhandle, caused damage including destroyed homes and buildings, flooded roads, and airport closures.

Although wind speeds have relatively subsided, weather authorities continue to warn that people must prepare for strong winds and heavy rain, as flash storm surges, floods, and tornadoes could occur.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced on X the previous night that the declaration of a state of emergency had been approved for Florida and Alabama, and federal support will be provided.

Isaias, the first Atlantic hurricane of this year, is the first hurricane to make landfall on the U.S. mainland in two years since Milton in 2024.

Isaias is projected to pass through the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region until the 11th before moving out into the Atlantic Ocean on the 12th.

(Photo: Yonhap News)