Washington, Oct 11. (dpa/GNA) – Four people have been killed in the United States, as a result of Hurricane Isaias, officials confirmed on Saturday.
According to official figures from Florida and Alabama, hundreds of thousands of people are without electricity. In Florida alone, 430,000 households have been affected, Governor Ron DeSantis said.
According to DeSantis, one person was killed in Florida, when a tree crashed onto the roof of their house. Another victim was found dead in a garage, where a generator was running. DeSantis did not provide further details on the cause of death.
Alabama’s emergency management agency put the number of power cuts at 200,000. Two people are also reported to have died in the state.
Isaias made landfall in Florida on Friday with wind speeds of up to 165 kilometres per hour. A state of emergency had been declared in several states as a precautionary measure.
The storm had initially been classified as a hurricane, but had weakened overnight. Nevertheless, according to the weather service, there is still a risk to life, among others from flooding.
The storm is now moving north-eastwards. The National Hurricane Center says the central Appalachian Mountains and the US mid-Atlantic coast, including Washington DC, Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York, should brace for heavy rainfall and flash flooding.
Further south, strong winds continue to pose a risk of falling trees and power outages, while tornadoes are also possible in some areas.
GNA