Hurricane Idalia updates: Biden promises to ‘take care of Florida’ on visit after DeSantis snub

President Biden assesses scale of impacts from Hurricane Idalia from the sky before conducting a walking tour of communities

Flood waters from Hurricane Idalia inundate Steinhatchee, Florida

Joe Biden told Florida residents “your nation has your back” on Saturday as he toured areas of the state damaged by Hurricane Idalia.

The president assessed the scale of the storm’s impact from the air, before meeting members of the public on a walking tour.

But while Mr Biden was joined by one of the state’s Republican senators – Rick Scott – his trip was snubbed by governor Ron DeSantis, a possible rival in the next presidential election.

“As I’ve told your governor, if there’s anything your state needs, I’m ready to mobilize that support,” Mr Biden said.

Idalia ploughed into Florida as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday morning before losing power as it moved inland through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

At around 5pm on Saturday afternoon the National Hurricane Center issued what it said was its final advisory on Idalia, noting that the post-tropical cyclone had moved away off Bermuda and that the storm warning for the island was discontinued.

Potentially dangerous surf and rip currents from Idalia will continue to hit the US east coast throughout the Labor Day weekend, it warned.

Key points

• Biden heading to Florida to see aftermath and recovery efforts
• Hurricane Idalia could be US’s costliest climate disaster this year
• Biden wants an extra $4bn for disaster relief, bringing total request to $16bn
• Life-threatening flash flooding continues to hit North Carolina
• WATCH: Terrifying moment tornado flips car with two inside
• Tree falls on DeSantis mansion with his family inside as Hurricane Idalia rocks Florida

[31 August 2023 16:10 · Louise Boyle]

Watch: Floridians surf in Hurricane Idalia waves amid coastal warnings

[31 August 2023 16:36 · Louise Boyle]

Terrifying moment car carrying two people is flipped into air by Hurricane Idalia

A car carrying two people was flipped into the air by a tornado in South Carolina, as Hurricane Idalia tore through the state.

The black sedan was travelling through severe rainfall near Goose Creek, north of Charleston, on Wednesday afternoon when severe gusts of wind threw it up in the air at an intersection.

Footage shows the car being flipped upwards by the strong winds, causing it to spin on its rear wheels before flipping upside down and landing on the roof of another oncoming car.

The Goose Creek Police Department said that the two people inside the car suffered minor injuries and were taken for treatment at a local hospital.

Rachel Sharp reports

[31 August 2023 16:50 · Louise Boyle]

President Biden calls Governor DeSantis

President Joe Biden called Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday morning, according to the White House pool report.

The president told Mr DeSantis that he had signed a Major Disaster Declaration and ordered all available federal resources to help with the continued response to Tropical Storm Idalia.

“The President reiterated that the people of Florida have his full support as they recover from the storm,” the report added.

Separately, Mr Biden declared that an emergency exists in the State of South Carolina and ordered federal assistance to support local response efforts to Hurricane Idalia.

[31 August 2023 17:29 · Louise Boyle]

Tree falls on Florida home during Hurricane Idalia

A tree fell on a house in Perry, Florida, as Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Wednesday.

In a video shared on Facebook by resident Olivia Gregg, one downed tree can already be seen out of the window, before two more fall in the wind, with the second crashing into the home.

“Tree hit the house a little while ago. My immediate neighbours have massive trees on their houses as well,” Gregg wrote. “We are ok.”

Idalia made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend area as a Category 3 storm with wind speeds topping 125 mph.

[31 August 2023 17:50 · Louise Boyle]

Satellite images capture Florida before and after Hurricane Idalia made landfall

Satellite images have captured the life-threatening flooding in Florida after Hurricane Idalia battered the state.

Idalia made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 3 storm early on Wednesday morning with wind speeds topping 125 mph.

The storm flooded streets, destroyed homes and downed power lines. Terrifying videos have shown a car being flipped into the air by a gust of wind and a gas station roof being blown off.

Andrea Cavallier reports

[31 August 2023 18:05 · Oliver O'Connell]

Where is Tropical Storm Idalia now?

Now downgraded to a tropical storm, Idalia is moving off into the North Atlantic. Tropical storm warnings are still in place along the coast of North Carolina, but much of the danger has now passed and clean-up and recovery efforts are well-underway.

Tropical Storm Idalia - 11am, 31 August 2023 (National Hurricane Center, NOAA)

[31 August 2023 18:20 · Oliver O'Connell]

Why stormy weather this week could make or break Ron DeSantis

It’s no secret at this point that Ron DeSantis’s image has taken a hit since he hit his peak in November 2022 after he cruised to a nearly 20-point re-election as Florida governor in an otherwise dim year from Republicans. His lacklustre performance on the presidential campaign trail has led to many people questioning whether he can go the distance against Donald Trump in the GOP presidential primary.

And it looks like he might literally be facing even rougher waters than he already has weathered. This last week, a white gunman killed shot and killed three Black people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville. In response, Mr DeSantis said that “the shooting, based on the manifesto that they discovered from the scumbag who did this, was racially motivated. He was targeting people based on their race.”

But when he attended a vigil in Jacksonville, a historically Republican city that recently elected a Democratic mayor, the residents of the city were not having it and they heckled the governor.

Mr DeSantis has staked his claim on making Florida a place where “wokeness” comes to die and has passed laws restricting how race is taught in classrooms in the state. Others Black leaders, including some Black Republican members of Congress, have also criticised the state’s middle school history curriculum, which says that enslaved people “developed skills” that could be “applied for personal benefit.”

Read more from Eric Garcia on how Hurricane Idalia will impact Ron DeSantis’s precarious political position.

[31 August 2023 18:50 · Oliver O'Connell]

Earlier: DeSantis gives Hurricane Idalia update as recovery efforts begin

As the tropical storm remnants of Hurricane Idalia move out into the Atlantic, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gave an update this morning on the state’s recovery efforts.

[31 August 2023 19:16 · Oliver O'Connell]

Watch: Biden making remarks at FEMA headquarters

[31 August 2023 19:20 · Louise Boyle]

Florida residents share heartbreaking photos of aftermath of Hurricane Idalia

Florida residents shared heartbreaking photos of the destruction caused by Hurricane Idalia after the powerful storm swept into the state on Wednesday.

Idalia made landfall around 8am as an “extremely dangerous” Category 3 storm with 120mph winds and warnings of “catastrophic” coastal surge up to 15 feet in places. More than 250,000 customers were left without power on Wednesday.

The hurricane came ashore near Keaton Beach in Big Bend, southeast of Tallahassee, an area known as “Florida’s nature coast” and less densely-populated than other parts of the state.

But that was cold comfort for the small, tranquil communities dotting the coastline with Idalia forecast to be the strongest storm to hit the region in more than 100 years.

Read more...