Hurricane Idalia ripped into Florida like a fast-moving train on Wednesday, splitting trees in half, ripping roofs off hotels, and turning small cars into boats before sweeping into Georgia and South Carolina as a still-potent storm that flooded roadways and sent residents fleeing for higher ground.

“All hell broke loose,” Belond Thomas of Perry, a mill town close inland from the Big Bend region where Idalia landed, said.

Thomas and her family escaped to a motel, believing it would be safer than waiting out the storm at home. But, around 8:30 a.m., a loud whistling noise pierced the air, and powerful winds ripped the roof off the structure, raining debris down on her pregnant daughter, who was laying in bed. Fortunately, she was unharmed.

“It was a little frightening,” Thomas told the Associated Press, “Things were just going so fast… Everything was spinning.”

Idalia made landfall as a high-end Category 3 hurricane at Keaton Beach around 7:45 a.m., with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph (205 kph). With maximum winds of 90 mph (150 mph), the system remained a hurricane as it passed into Georgia. By late Wednesday afternoon, it had reduced to a tropical storm, and its winds had slowed to 65 mph (100 kph) by Wednesday evening.

Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday, wreaking havoc throughout a large swath of the Gulf Coast. (30 August)

High winds destroyed signs, blew off roofs, drove sheet metal flying, and snapped large trees as the eye advanced inland. Georgia had one fatality. There were no official hurricane-related deaths in Florida, however the Florida Highway Patrol reported two persons died in separate weather-related collisions just hours before Idalia made landfall.

Surging Waters from Hurricane Idalia

As it moved into the Carolinas, the storm brought high gusts to Savannah, Georgia, on Wednesday evening. It was expected to cross over Charleston, South Carolina, early Thursday morning before continuing east and out to sea.

According to the National Weather Service, Idalia produced a tornado that briefly touched down in the Charleston suburb of Goose Creek. According to investigators and eyewitness video, high winds blew an automobile away and flipped it over. Two people suffered minor injuries.

North Myrtle Beach, Garden City, and Edisto Island on South Carolina’s coast all reported ocean water surging over sand dunes and spilling onto beachside streets Wednesday evening. Storm surge from Idalia crested the seawall that defends downtown Charleston, dumping ankle-deep ocean water into streets and neighbourhoods where horse-drawn carriages pass million-dollar homes and the famous open-air market.

According to preliminary statistics, the high tide on Wednesday evening reached just over 9.2 feet (2.8 metres), more than 3 feet (0.9 metres) above normal and the fifth-highest reading in Charleston Harbour since records began in 1899.

Florida had expected the worst while still recuperating from Hurricane Ian last year, which devastated the heavily populated Fort Myers area and killed 149 people in the state. Idalia, unlike that storm, blasted onto a sparsely populated area known as Florida’s “nature coast,” one of the state’s most rural sections that lies far from big metropolises or bustling tourist spots and contains millions of acres of unspoiled territory.

That doesn’t mean it didn’t cause significant damage. Water rushed into neighbourhoods near the coast, unmoored small boats, and over 500,000 people in Florida and Georgia lost electricity.

The wind smashed out store windows, ripped siding off buildings and overturned a petrol station canopy in Perry. Heavy rains inundated Interstate 275 in Tampa, while wind fell power lines onto the northbound side of Interstate 75 near Valdosta, Georgia.

Water from Deadman’s Bay engulfed shops, boat docks, and homes in Steinhatchee, Florida, less than 20 miles (32 kilometres) south of where Idalia made landfall. Police officers stopped traffic entering the coastal village of over 500 people known for its fishing and forestry industry.

State officials, 5,500 National Guardsmen, and rescue personnel were examining bridges, clearing downed trees, and searching for anyone in need.

Due to the remoteness of the Big Bend area, search and rescue personnel may require more time to finish their mission than in previous hurricanes in more populated areas, according to Kevin Guthrie, head of the Florida Department of Emergency Management.

“You may have two houses on a 5-mile (8-kilometer) road, so it’s going to take some time,” Guthries said.

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee labelled Idalia a “unprecedented event,” because no big hurricanes have ever gone through the bay that borders the Big Bend. Downed trees and debris obstructed roads on Cedar Key, and propane tanks exploded.

RJ Wright stayed behind to check on his elderly neighbours. He huddled down with companions in a motel and stepped outdoors into chest-high water when it was safe. He believes the island, which juts into the Gulf, could have fared much worse if it had taken a direct strike.

“It got pretty gnarly for a while, but it was nothing compared to some of the other storms,” said Wright.

Tallahassee’s power went out well before the storm’s centre arrived, but the city escaped a direct impact. A massive oak tree close to the governor’s residence snapped in half, littering the yard.

Idalia’s strong winds destroyed trees and sent rain falling sideways in Valdosta, Georgia. Jonathon Wick said he didn’t pay attention to the coming hurricane until Wednesday morning, when he awoke to screaming winds outside his home. He was climbing into the driver’s seat of his car after rescuing his little nephews from a trampoline in their back yard where the water had reached his knees.

“If that tree had fallen on the car, I would have died,” said Wick, who was eventually rescued by another family member.

Hurricane Idalia has intensified to a dangerous Category 4 hurricane as it approaches Florida’s Big Bend region, threatening to deliver life-threatening storm surges and rainfall. (Aug. 30)(AP Rod Jussim (Video Production)

According to Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk, one man was killed in Valdosta on Wednesday when a tree fell on him while he was attempting to clear another tree from the road. The tree toppled and injured two people, including a sheriff’s deputy, according to Paulk.

More than 30,000 utility workers gathered in Florida to perform repairs as soon as possible in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Airports in the area, including Tampa International Airport, planned to reopen for business on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday. According to flight tracking service FlightAware, more than 900 flights had been cancelled across Florida and Georgia by midday Wednesday.

Tropical Storm Idalia was about 60 miles (95 kilometres) west of Charleston, South Carolina, at 8 p.m. EDT Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Centre. It was travelling northeast at 21 miles per hour (33 kilometres per hour).

Bermuda officials have warned that Idalia, a tropical storm, could make landfall on the island early next week. Bermuda was battered on Wednesday by the outer bands of Hurricane Franklin, a Category 2 storm that was expected to pass close to the island in the north Atlantic Ocean.

The White House said President Joe Biden contacted the governors of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina on Wednesday and told them their states had his administration’s full support.