Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in Florida

Hurricane Isaias, a Category 2 storm, made landfall near Destin, Florida, on Friday evening. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned of 'life-threatening storm surge' impacting the Gulf Coast as dangerous hurricane conditions and flash flooding spread inland. (Source: DW News)

The NHC reported maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour (165 kilometers per hour) and issued a tornado watch for parts of Florida and southern Georgia. The storm system is also bringing extreme winds, rising water levels, and possible tornadoes. (Source: DW News)

Florida, Georgia, and Alabama have all declared a State of Emergency due to the extreme weather system. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged residents to 'buckle down at this point' and avoid traveling during the storm. (Source: DW News)

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier warned those considering using the storm's power outages and evacuations to break in, loot, or steal: 'don't even try it.' These crimes become first-degree felonies, punishable by up to 30 years in prison, during an emergency. (Source: DW News)

According to PowerOutage.com, roughly 480,000 customers were without electricity as of Friday evening in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. (Source: DW News)

Hurricane Isaias is the first hurricane of the Atlantic season and was originally a strong Category 3 storm before making landfall. (Source: BBC News - Science & Environment)

Florida Senator Rick Scott encouraged residents in designated areas to evacuate as soon as possible, warning 'DO NOT WAIT! Get out NOW!' (Source: BBC News - Science & Environment)

Governor of Alabama Kay Ivey issued a mandatory evacuation for all non-residents, tourists, and visitors in key counties likely to be heavily affected by the storm. (Source: BBC News - Science & Environment)