Update: 448,000 Without Power After Isaias; I-10, U.S. 98 and State Bridges Reopen

Update: About 448,000 customer accounts in Florida were without power as of 7 a.m. Saturday, October 10, after Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin on Friday night, according to Governor Ron DeSantis. Interstate 10, U.S. 98 and every state-owned bridge are open again, Isaias is now a post-tropical system over Alabama, and damage assessments have started across the Panhandle.

This is an update to our overnight report, Isaias Makes Landfall Near Destin as Category 2; 512,000 Lose Power. What is new: the state has given its first post-landfall accounting of outages, road and bridge status, port and airport closures, and the emergency orders that affect repair work. This is a developing story. Damage totals, restoration dates and any decision on further federal aid are not yet available.

What Happened

Isaias made landfall near Destin at about 9:30 p.m. EDT on Friday, October 9, as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 105 mph. Gusts reached 116 mph near Santa Rosa Sound and about 100 mph near Pensacola, and water at Panama City Beach rose roughly 5.6 feet above the average high tide. The storm then moved north into southern Alabama and became post-tropical early Saturday (Office of Governor Ron DeSantis). The National Hurricane Center has ended its advisories on the system (WEAR-TV).

DeSantis, Attorney General James Uthmeier and Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Jared Perdue briefed reporters Saturday morning at the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee (Office of Governor Ron DeSantis). The governor said he planned to visit damaged areas later in the day, including parts of Okaloosa County (WPTV).

What Is Confirmed

• Power. About 448,000 accounts were out statewide at 7 a.m., including roughly 323,000 Florida Power & Light customers and about 110,000 electric cooperative customers. The governor gave outage rates of 90 percent in Santa Rosa County, 89 percent in Holmes, 86 percent in Washington, 85 percent in Walton, 75 percent in Escambia and 53 percent in Okaloosa (WPTV). Across Florida, Alabama and Georgia, more than 911,000 customers were out early Saturday, based on PowerOutage.us data (WEAR-TV).
• Restoration. More than 16,000 linemen and restoration workers were positioned before landfall, and restoration work began as early as 3 a.m. Saturday. DeSantis said the pace will be clearer once utilities finish assessing damage to their equipment (News4JAX).
• Roads and bridges. The Florida Department of Transportation activated more than 1,100 staff and deployed more than 260 pieces of heavy equipment, 1,400 generators and 100 pumps. Forty cut-and-toss teams cleared Interstate 10 before 6 a.m., U.S. 98 was cleared and opened by 6 a.m., all coastal bridges were inspected by 6 a.m., and all state-owned bridges and all interstates are open. Thirty drone teams are flying damage and flood assessments, and crews are working on localized flooding east of Brooks Bridge on Okaloosa Island (Office of Governor Ron DeSantis). Smaller local roads were still being cleared (News4JAX).
• Ports and airports. The Port of Pensacola and Port Panama City are closed on both the waterside and the landside. Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport and Pensacola International Airport are closed to commercial service. Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport has reopened (Office of Governor Ron DeSantis).
• State of emergency. The governor's executive order covers 27 counties. About 5,000 Florida National Guard members are activated with more than 1,300 high-wheeled vehicles, 50 construction and route clearance vehicles and 13 route clearance teams, and nearly 400 Florida State Guard soldiers are deployed (Office of Governor Ron DeSantis).
• Casualties. DeSantis said that as of the briefing there were no confirmed fatalities in Florida, and that the state had received no requests for large-scale search and rescue deployments (WPTV).
• Visible damage. In west Pensacola, the storm tore the roof off a gas station on Blue Angels Parkway and dropped it onto parked vehicles. The City of Pensacola asked people to stay off the roads because many intersections were blocked by downed lines, trees and debris (WEAR-TV).

Emergency Orders That Affect Repair Work

Several state actions listed in the governor's release bear directly on contractors, haulers and suppliers (Office of Governor Ron DeSantis):

• Truck size and weight. An executive order waives standard size and weight limits for commercial vehicles carrying fuel, emergency equipment, supplies and agricultural commodities.
• Hours of service. A Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles emergency order waives hours-of-service and registration requirements for commercial carriers taking part in relief efforts.
• Debris and repairs. A Department of Environmental Protection emergency final order activates disaster debris sites and removes barriers to repairs, including work on coastal structures and surface water systems. Five of the state's 260 pre-authorized disaster debris management sites have been activated so far.
• Fuel. The Department of Revenue is issuing temporary fuel tax licenses, and out-of-state applicants are not charged a fee or required to post a bond or pass a background check.
• Contractor registration. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation is encouraging contractors to register with the Florida Disaster Contractors Network at DCNOnline.org.
• Business damage reporting. FloridaCommerce has opened its Business Damage Assessment Survey at FloridaDisaster.biz and is running a private sector hotline around the clock.

Uthmeier also warned residents about scams, including fraudulent text messages offering tree removal and unlicensed contractors seeking repair work (WPTV).

What Is Not Yet Known

There is no statewide damage estimate, and no count of damaged buildings has been published. Utilities have not issued restoration dates by county. The state has not said when the two closed ports or the two closed airports will reopen. Damage assessments are underway to determine whether Florida qualifies for federal disaster aid beyond the emergency declaration that was approved before landfall, and no decision has been announced (WPTV).

The flood risk has not passed. Forecasters expect 4 to 8 inches of rain across the Panhandle and Big Bend over the weekend, officials said flooding can worsen a day or two after a storm, and Perdue said state search and rescue teams will remain ready for water rescues (News4JAX).

What It Means for Owners and Contractors

• Main routes are open, local access is not guaranteed. Interstate 10 and U.S. 98 are passable, which restores the main east-west freight corridors through the Panhandle. Local streets, signals and site entrances may still be blocked or without power. Confirm conditions with the county and on FL511 before sending crews or deliveries.
• Plan for work without utility power. With outage rates above 85 percent in four counties, projects in Santa Rosa, Holmes, Washington and Walton should expect to rely on generators for dewatering, lighting and inspections until utilities publish restoration estimates. Fuel supply is being prioritized for response and restoration work.
• Marine and air freight are interrupted. Materials routed through the Port of Pensacola or Port Panama City, and air shipments through Pensacola or Destin-Fort Walton Beach, will need alternate routing until the state announces reopening.
• Inspect and document before restarting. Wind gusts above 100 mph and several feet of surge call for inspection of cranes, scaffolding, temporary bracing, roofing in progress and excavations by qualified personnel. Photograph conditions before cleanup, and send any weather or force majeure delay notice within the period the contract sets.
• Licensing matters more after a storm. The attorney general's warning about unlicensed repair work is a reminder for owners to verify a contractor's Florida license and insurance before signing, and for contractors coming from out of state to confirm what they are permitted to do. Registering with the Disaster Contractors Network is the channel the state is pointing to.
• Expect competition for crews and equipment. Power restoration, debris removal and roof repair will draw electricians, roofers, tree crews, haulers and generators into the Panhandle. Projects elsewhere in Florida, including Tampa Bay, should confirm subcontractor availability and delivery dates for the next several weeks.
• Safety during cleanup. DeSantis noted that deaths have occurred in the days after past storms during cleanup. Officials asked people to treat every downed line as energized and to stay out of floodwater (News4JAX).

What to Watch

• County-by-county restoration estimates from Florida Power & Light and the electric cooperatives.
• Reopening of the Port of Pensacola, Port Panama City, Pensacola International Airport and Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport.
• Results of the state and local damage assessments, and any request for a federal major disaster declaration.
• Flood reports through the weekend as additional rain falls on the Panhandle and Big Bend.
• Further emergency orders on debris, permitting or licensing as repair work begins.

Image credit: Gov. Ron DeSantis Facebook page, via WPTV. Image from the source article.

Sources

• Office of Governor Ron DeSantis, Governor Ron DeSantis Issues Updates on State Response and Recovery Efforts for Hurricane Isaias: https://www.flgov.com/eog/news/press/2026/governor-ron-desantis-issues-updates-state-response-and-recovery-efforts-hurricane
• WPTV, DeSantis: Nearly 450,000 without power after Hurricane Isaias, but no confirmed storm deaths in Florida: https://www.wptv.com/news/state/desantis-nearly-450-000-without-power-after-hurricane-isaias-but-no-confirmed-storm-deaths-in-florida
• News4JAX, 'Help is on the way': Hundreds of thousands in Florida Panhandle without power after Hurricane Isaias: https://www.news4jax.com/weather/2026/10/10/desantis-gives-update-after-isaias-slams-the-florida-panhandle-leaving-many-without-power/
• WEAR-TV, 'It was shaking buildings': Isaias damage emerges across Pensacola: https://weartv.com/news/local/florida-recovery-begins-in-pensacola-panhandle-after-hurricane-isaias-rips-off-gas-station-roof-cuts-power-damages-destruction-recovery