Trump Approves Emergency Declarations for Florida and Alabama After Hurricane Isaias; FEMA to Coordinate Federal Relief at 75% Federal Cost Share
President Donald Trump approved federal emergency declarations for Florida and Alabama on the night of October 9, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Isaias, with eligible emergency protective measures funded at 75 percent federal cost share. It is the highest-level federal disaster mechanism activated after the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2026 season to make landfall caused severe damage.
Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, at 8:30 p.m. Central Time on October 9 as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, after briefly strengthening to Category 3 earlier that day. An extreme gust of 116 mph was recorded at Santa Rosa Sound, and Jay registered 118 mph. Storm surge reached about 5 feet, as the storm arrived roughly two hours before high tide in Destin.
Florida's declaration covers 27 counties from the Panhandle to the Big Bend: Baker, Bay, Calhoun, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Walton, Wakulla and Washington. Alabama's covers Baldwin, Escambia and Mobile counties plus the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize and directly provide equipment and resources; Brett H. Howard was named Federal Coordinating Officer for Florida and Willie G. Nunn for Alabama. FEMA said additional counties could be designated as damage assessments continue.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a Sunday briefing that about 300,000 customers remained without power in the storm area: as of 5 a.m. Sunday, 105,770 in Escambia County, 74,410 in Santa Rosa County and 31,659 in Okaloosa County. Florida Power & Light said more than 16,000 line workers from 29 states are working around the clock, aiming to restore power to 95 percent of customers who can safely accept it by midnight Monday. Alabama Power expected 95 percent restoration by Sunday midnight.
At least four deaths have been attributed to the storm. Fallen trees and debris have blocked roads across the Panhandle; Palm Beach County Fire Rescue's Urban Search and Rescue team has deployed to Walton County. Okaloosa County lifted evacuation orders at midday Sunday and opened a point-of-distribution site at the Crestview Public Library, handing out bottled water, tarps and Meals-Ready-to-Eat.
Isaias weakened to a post-tropical storm hours after landfall, with sustained winds down to 35 mph by Saturday morning, and tracked north, bringing all-day rain and flash-flood risks to the Washington-Baltimore-Philadelphia-New York corridor on Sunday. FEMA urged residents along the storm's path on Saturday to stay away from floodwaters, follow local officials' guidance and remember that dangers persist after the worst of the storm has passed.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: FEMA华盛顿总部大楼，CC BY 2.0（Wikimedia Commons，Ajay Suresh 摄）
