Flood waters from Hurricane Idalia inundate Steinhatchee, Florida
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Joe Biden told Florida residents “your nation has your back” on Saturday as he toured areas of the state damaged by Hurricane Idalia.
The president assessed the scale of the storm’s impact from the air, before meeting members of the public on a walking tour.
But while Mr Biden was joined by one of the state’s Republican senators – Rick Scott – his trip was snubbed by governor Ron DeSantis, a possible rival in the next presidential election.
“As I’ve told your governor, if there’s anything your state needs, I’m ready to mobilize that support,” Mr Biden said.
Idalia ploughed into Florida as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday morning before losing power as it moved inland through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
At around 5pm on Saturday afternoon the National Hurricane Center issued what it said was its final advisory on Idalia, noting that the post-tropical cyclone had moved away off Bermuda and that the storm warning for the island was discontinued.
Potentially dangerous surf and rip currents from Idalia will continue to hit the US east coast throughout the Labor Day weekend, it warned.
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1693742400
A phenomenon in Hurricane Idalia’s eye prevented ‘devastating impacts’ in Florida’s capital
In the final hours before Hurricane Idalia struck Florida the storm had grown into a Category 4 beast lurking off the state’s west coast, and the forecast called for it to continue intensifying up until landfall.
An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft had recorded winds up to 130 mph (215 kph), the National Hurricane Center said in an ominous bulletin at 6 a.m. Wednesday.
As the sun rose an hour later, however, there was eence the hurricane began replacing the wall around its eye — a phenomenon that experts say kept it from further intensifying. Maximum winds had dropped to near 125 mph (205 kph), the Hurricane Center said in a 7 a.m. update.
Then came another surprising twist: A last-minute turn sparing the state’s capital city of Tallahassee from far more serious damage.
“Eyewall replacement cycles are common in major hurricanes, and so when you see that, it does lead to some temporary weakening,” said Kelly Godsey, one of the meteorologists tracking the storm at the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, where his colleagues slept inside the weather office so they could be at work in case the city was devastated.
Graig Graziosi3 September 2023 13:00
1693738800Biden says ‘we’re going to save Florida’ when asked if he had a statement for Ron DeSantis
Joe Biden said “we’re going to save Florida” when asked if he had a statement for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Mr DeSantis said he did not plan to meet with the president during his trip to Florida to survey the wreckage of Hurricane Idalia. The governor said the logistics of securing the area for the visit would slow recovery efforts.
Graig Graziosi3 September 2023 12:00
1693735200President and First Lady observe Idalia wreckage from helicopter
Joe Biden visited Florida Saturday to survey the extent of the damage caused by Hurrican Idalia when it made landfall on Wednesday morning near Big Bend.
Mr Biden was accompanied by First Lady Jill Biden.
The couple tookan aerial tour of the region to get a wider view of the impact the storm had on Florida’s coast before meeting with GOP Senator Rick Scott and residents to discuss the recovery.
Debris is littered around the damaged Regency Inn Perry in Perry, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023
( 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Graig Graziosi3 September 2023 11:00
1693731600Despite opposing it after Sandy, DeSantis says Florida will apply for federal disaster relief money
Graig Graziosi3 September 2023 10:00
1693728000Terrifying moment car carrying two people is flipped into air by Hurricane Idalia
The black sedan was travelling through severe rainfall near Goose Creek, north of Charleston, on Wednesday afternoon when severe gusts of wind threw it up in the air at an intersection.
Footage shows the car being flipped upwards by the strong winds, causing it to spin on its rear wheels before flipping upside down and landing on the roof of another oncoming car.
The Goose Creek Police Department said that the two people inside the car suffered minor injuries and were taken for treatment at a local hospital.
Officials from Berkely County Emergency Management later confirmed that it was a brief tornado during Storm Idalia that had flipped the vehicle.
Graig Graziosi3 September 2023 09:00
1693724400Before and after Hurricane Idalia made landfall captured by satellites
Graig Graziosi3 September 2023 08:00
1693720800Tampa Bay area again dodges direct hit from major hurricane
Last year it was Hurricane Ian that drew a bead on Tampa Bay before abruptly shifting east to strike southwest Florida more than 130 miles (210 kilometers) away. This time it was Hurricane Idalia, which caused some serious flooding as it sideswiped the area but packed much more punch at landfall Wednesday, miles to the north.
In fact, the Tampa Bay area hasn’t been hit directly by a major hurricane for more than a century. The last time it happened, there were just a few hundred thousand people living in the region, compared with more than 3 million today.
1693717200Why do so many destructive hurricanes start with the letter ‘I’?
Hurricane Idalia caused widespread damage after making landfall as an “extremely dangerous”, Category 3 storm in Florida on Wednesday.
Hundreds of thousands of people were left without power in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, and residents shared heartbreaking images of the destruction Idalia caused.
Idalia, which is pronounced Ee-DAL-ya and has Greek or Spanish origins, joined a long list of notoriously destructive hurricanes, whose names start with the letter “I”.
Graig Graziosi3 September 2023 06:00
1693713596ICYMI: DeSantis says he won’t meet Biden during president’s visit to Florida after Hurricane Idalia
Ron DeSantis’ office has said that he won’t meet Joe Biden during the president’s trip to Florida this weekend to inspect the damage caused by Hurricane Idalia.
Organizing a meeting between the Florida governor and Mr Biden would hamper disaster response efforts, a spokesman for Mr DeSantis said.
“In these rural communities, and so soon after impact, the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts,” Jeremy Redfern said in a statement.
Graig Graziosi3 September 2023 04:59
1693710056After Idalia, Biden wants an extra $4bn for disaster relief
The White House will seek an additional $4bn to address natural disasters as part of its supplemental funding request — a sign that wildfires, flooding and hurricanes that have intensified during a period of climate change are imposing ever higher costs on US taxpayers.
The Biden administration had initially requested $12bn in extra funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund, which helps with rescue and relief efforts. But an official in the Democratic administration said that the fires in Hawaii and Louisiana as well as flooding in Vermont and Hurricane Idalia striking Florida and other Southeastern states mean that a total of $16bn is needed.
