Impacts of Hurricane Idalia on Florida, Georgia, South Carolina
Idalia, Florida's first hurricane of the season, has officially passed. This storm was unique in a number of ways, particularly the location of landfall. The "Big Bend" region of Florida's western coast has not typically been a target of hurricanes, however, this was different with Idalia. Continue reading to learn about damage that occurred in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
Damage Report by Region:
Florida:
Although Idalia largely avoided high-population areas like Tampa, it did cause significant damage to many towns in the Big Bend region. Horseshoe Beach, a small coastal town, saw over a dozen homes taken completely to the ground. Almost every other building in the town was damaged considerably with local marinas, businesses, and churches left with windows blown out, roofs ripped off, and debris scattered everywhere.
Other areas that received significant damage were Perry and Cedar Key. In Perry, the iconic photo of a gas station canopy toppled over has become a centerpiece on the internet in recent days. The town's residents also saw significant damage with home destruction from high winds and flooding widespread. Cedar Key, a particularly vulnerable area during the storm, saw their central street completely destroyed. "Dock Street," which serves as the island's tourism center, saw restaurants and shops completely destroyed.
Georgia:
Hurricane Idalia spent the majority of it's time hovering over Georgia, leaving 190,000 homes without power and several communities destroyed. One city that saw consequential damage was Valdosta, GA. According to ABC news "resident Desmond Robertson, who took a drive with a friend to check out the damage, said that on one street a tree had fallen on nearly every house." The city also amassed damage to infrastructure with several roads closed from downed trees and power lines. Some streets were left completely underwater. It is also important to note that the only recorded fatally from the storm occurred in Georgia, with a man perishing from a fallen tree.
South Carolina:
Charleston, SC saw its largest coastal flooding event on record with total water levels near 9 ft. "Major coastal inundation" was observed throughout the city with water breaching the Charleston battery and flowing onto streets and into homes. Neighboring Edisto Island was also significantly impacted with streets flooding to the point of impassibility. Residents still on the island were forced to hunker down as it was nearly impossible to evacuate.
Triage & Visualize Damage from Anywhere
With Earthvisionz V-Alert, understanding where and when damage occurred is second nature. After a disaster like Idalia, professionals are tasked with the arduous task of restoring homes and businesses. In order to do so more efficiently, V-Alert provides satellite and crowd-sourced imagery so crews know where to go first.
