Hurricane Idalia officially made landfall on Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane near Keaton Beach, Florida, with winds reaching as high as 125 mph as the storm devastated the Big Bend region. Two people have already been pronounced dead as a result of the storm.
The storm left behind a devastating path of destruction on major roadways and businesses, many of which have been documented on social media.
One viral clip shows the highway near Tampa on the way to Clearwater Beach completely flooded as water smashes against the infrastructure.
@cbsnews Prior to making landfall in #Florida, Hurricane Idalia flooded part of a major state highway in Tampa that connects the city to St. Petersburg. #stpetersburg #tampa #hurricaneidalia #weather ♬ original sound – cbsnews
Another shows fuel tanks at a gas station being knocked over by high-speed winds and flooding, taking down the entire structure.
@jeff.emt #hurricane #hurricaneidalia #florida #floridapanhandle #gasstation #hurricanedamage #hurricsneseaon2023 #stormwatcher #tropicalstorm ♬ original sound – ?Jeff ?Theme Park EMT ??
Others made jokes about which brands were still on the shelves.
@aniajahgafford #hurricaneidalia #hurricaneidalia2023 #hurricaneidalia? #floridiansbelike #hurricaneseason #fyp #fyppp #foryoupage #hurricanepreperation ♬ Someone cooked here – Ritzecracker
And some businesses are just going with the flow — quite literally.
One viral photo shows a man paddleboarding past O’Maddy’s Bar and Grill in Gulfport, which remained open despite the flooded streets.
I love Florida. O’Maddy’s in Gulfport is open for business even with floodwaters covering the streets around it. #Idalia pic.twitter.com/B8wUbKIcml
— Florida Grand (@florida_grand) August 30, 2023
Idalia is expecting to hit Georgia and South Carolina on Wednesday night.
An astounding 49 out of 67 Florida counties were declared in a State of Emergency by Governor Ron DeSantis before the storm.
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