Isaias came ashore near Destin on Friday night as a Category 2 hurricane.
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Hurricane Isaias is blamed for six deaths in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a storm update.
“We’re sad to hear that,” DeSantis said, describing four new deaths: two people killed in a car crash at an intersection where the traffic signal wasn’t working and two who died after “disruptions to some of their medical treatment.”
Officials previously disclosed two deaths in Escambia County: a woman killed when a tree fell on her home and a man who died after a generator ran inside his garage.
DeSantis said the death toll has been higher in past storms and credited local officials for sounding the alarm for people to take the hurricane seriously. “I think people did take precautions and I think the local officials did a really good job of helping spread the word,” he said.
Electricity has been restored to about 95% of customers who lost power. About 5,000 are still in the dark northwest of where Isaias made landfall. Getting lines back up isn’t the only hurdle, DeSantis said during the news conference in Vernon.
“It’s not a question of the power lines being back up. It’s a question of can they safely receive power to their homes?” he said. “You could have every power line up and functioning and electrified. If there’s damage to the home where it can’t receive power, it’s got to be fixed on that end.”
The state’s Division of Emergency Management has conducted more than 600 response missions, and the Florida Department of Transportation is helping Washington, Holmes and northern Santa Rosa counties clear debris.
“Our FDOT guys have moved a lot of debris out of there and have cleared a lot of pathways,” DeSantis said.
Isaias came ashore near Destin on Friday night as a Category 2 hurricane, toppling trees and dumping heavy rain across the Panhandle.
The outgoing Governor also used the news conference to announce state grants worth $27 million for improving infrastructure and economic development in 14 small and rural communities.
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