Four dead and thousands without power after Hurricane Isaias lashes US
Isaias made landfall in Florida on late Friday before being downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone.
Four people are dead and hundreds of thousands are without electricity after Hurricane Isaias struck parts of the southern US with strong winds and heavy rain.
Officials said two people died in Alabama and two in Florida, including victims killed when trees crashed into their homes.
According to poweroutage.us, at least 600,000 people were without power across several states as of Saturday afternoon.
Isaias came ashore in Florida late Friday with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour (168 km/h) before weakening to a post-tropical cyclone.
The storm toppled trees and damaged homes. Alabama, Florida and Georgia all declared states of emergency before it arrived, and both Florida and Alabama ordered thousands of people to evacuate.
Two deaths were reported in Florida’s Escambia County. Local Sheriff Chip Simmons said a woman died after a tree fell on her house.
Joey Williams told NewsNation that his wife had died in the storm. He said they had gone outside to take pictures of the sky and the storm damage. When they returned to their home, a tree fell through the roof and trapped them.
"I was able to squeeze out. My wife didn't make it," he told the outlet.
Simmons later said a man died from carbon monoxide poisoning after using a generator in a garage that was not properly ventilated. Four other people in the same house were taken to hospital.
Officials also had to rescue people from vehicles submerged by floodwaters. In a post on X, the Florida National Guard shared images of a truck stuck in a flood ditch, saying soldiers "stopped, swam to the vehicle and pulled its occupants to safety".
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said flooding remained a threat and warned of a "very hazardous situation".
In neighbouring Alabama, a sheriff was injured when a tree fell on him while he was responding to a car crash.
"Unfortunately, we have also learned that two Alabamians have lost their lives," Governor Kay Ivey said in a post on X, without providing further details about how they died.
She also said officials were worried about "spinoff tornadoes" in the state because of the strong winds and heavy rain.
"As we approach the weekend and any travel plans, make sure you have reliable information as conditions develop," she said.
In Charleston, South Carolina, officials urged people to stay home on Saturday night as high tide is expected to reach 7.5ft (2.3m).
"After dark, floodwater is much harder to see, and it's impossible to judge how deep it is from behind the wheel," the city said in a post on Facebook.
The storm is forecast to keep weakening as it moves north-east, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned that the Carolinas and Georgia could face flooding from as much as 10 inches (25cm) of rain.
Alongside Isaias, Tropical Storm Rachel is expected to reach southern California later on Saturday, and Hurricane Simon will strike Mexico’s Pacific coast on Sunday.
Hurricane Isaias was the first hurricane of the Atlantic hurricane season, which has largely been delayed because of El Niño conditions in the Pacific.