A weakening Isaias makes landfall in the western Florida Panhandle
Oct 09, 2026 | 11:54 am ET
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Businesses in downtown Pensacola were almost entirely closed on the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 9, hours before Hurricane Isaias was set to make landfall. Businesses used sandbags to stop flooding and police cars were stationed throughout the downtown area. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix)
Note: We will update this story as the situation develops.
PENSACOLA — Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin at around 8:30 p.m. Central Time with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, meaning that at the time it had degraded to a Category 2 storm, having grown to a Category 3 event earlier in the day.
The National Hurricane Center posted the update. Destin is located around 50 miles east of Pensacola.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump approved federal disaster assistance for Florida, according to a notice posted by FEMA. The move authorizes the agency to coordinate recovery efforts.
“Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75% federal funding,” FEMA said.
“Water levels are rising along the coast as dangerous weather conditions and life-threatening flash flooding spread inland. You do have strong winds, and those winds, because the storm is moving pretty quickly, will likely continue even as the storm moves beyond the coast into the into the interior parts of Northwest Florida,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press briefing in Tallahassee.
A hurricane warning was in effect from Ocean Springs, Mississippi to the Bay/Gulf county line in Florida and a hurricane watch extended from there to the Aucilla River.
A storm surge warning was in effect between the Mississippi and Suwanee rivers and a storm surge watch was in place in Florida from there to Yankeetown.
According to DeSantis, Florida Power & Light has 16,000 linemen and personnel mobilized.
“Assume you’re going to lose power,” DeSantis said — and how quickly it comes back on depends upon where damage is sustained.
People as far away as Central Florida should take precautionary measures, the governor said, as rain bands from Isaias could extend that far.
Given that, DeSantis on Thursday added Citrus and Levy counties to the areas of the state under emergency order. With the Thursday additions, 27 counties were identified in the governor’s emergency order.
Health care facilities in those 27 counties are required to report information into the Health Facility Reporting System which tracks information such as census, and power and utility status during hurricanes and other weather events.
Based on that information the governor’s office reported Friday that three assisted living facilities, one nursing home and one hospital were evacuated.
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Hurricanes are categorized by number between 1 and 5 assigned based on the storm’s maximum sustained wind speed. Officially called the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, Category 3, 4, and 5 hurricanes are considered “major.”
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, during a major storm, “Devastating damage will occur: Well-built framed homes may incur major damage or removal of roof decking and gable ends. Many trees will be snapped or uprooted, blocking numerous roads. Electricity and water will be unavailable for several days to weeks after the storm passes.
Meanwhile, Pensacola residents, businesses, and utilities have been heeding the governor’s advice.
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority said it was temporarily shutting down water and sewer services on Pensacola Beach, a barrier island, beginning at 3 p.m.
The shutdown is to help reduce the potential for sewer backups and overflows during the storm.
Pensacola residents flocked to stores Thursday including the Walmart in west Pensacola, where they scurried to buy hurricane supplies. Bottled water was being replenished on a rolling basis by the pallet-load by store employees.
Chips, bread, lunch meat, and other staples were nearly gone from the shelves. Toilet paper remained well-stocked.
Vienna sausages, canned chicken, and canned tuna were all nearly sold out.
In the Scenic Hills neighborhood in Pensacola, on the street nearest Escambia Bay, residents had boarded up windows before noon Friday. A few cars moved around the neighborhood, but otherwise there was little action.
As landfall neared, a Gulf Breeze Publix felt like any other Publix — plenty of bottled water and other essentials. However, crates holding gallons of water had signs posted advising the store would close at 2 p.m. Friday and tentatively would reopen at 8 a.m. Saturday.
Naval Air Station Pensacola planned to close at noon Friday to non-mission essential personnel because of the storm, officials announced via Instagram. NAS Whiting Field was moving aircraft off-base, too. Similarly, Eglin Air Force Base, the Panhandle’s enormous weapons range, evacuated airworthy aircraft and moved non-flyable craft into hangars, according to its Instagram. Some service members and their families were ordered to evacuate.
Waffle Houses, known for operating around the clock, closed throughout the Pensacola area. This mattered because of the “Waffle House Index” devised by former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate: “Green means the restaurant is serving a full menu, a signal that damage in an area is limited and the lights are on. Yellow means a limited menu, indicating power from a generator, at best, and low food supplies. Red means the restaurant is closed, a sign of severe damage in the area or unsafe conditions.”
Bob Gurkweitz, a Red Cross representative at the Bay Center, a shelter site, told the Phoenix more than 200 people were hunkered down inside as of around 3 p.m. Central. Inside, the center had blankets, pillows, snacks, and MREs.
Following the storm, Gurkweitz said, the Red Cross would provide nursing, mental health, and religious services.
That shelter was the larger of two shelters hosted by Escambia County. It is an approximately 10,000 seat arena, home to the Pensacola Ice Flyers hockey team.
Police officers and ambulances were dropping people off at the shelter.
Around the same time, few cars roamed downtown Pensacola as the wind whipped through at increasingly high speeds. A downed tree was spotted on a street before the hurricane made landfall.
Some 200 miles to the east in Tallahassee, city government reported “widespread power outages due to downed trees and downed power lines.”
“Crews are responding across the City to remove trees, make repairs & restore service and will continue to do so throughout the night. As the storm continues, more outages are anticipated to occur.”
Tallahassee, FL
