Idalia’s wind, flood and storm surge damage in Florida was caught on video. Take a look
Idalia made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a major hurricane with 125 mph winds and sweeping storm surge on Wednesday morning — leaving behind flooding, wind damage and power outages.
How did it look in Keaton Beach, Cedar Key Horseshoe Beach, Steinhatchee, Anna Maria Island, the Tampa Bay Area, Bradenton and beyond?
Check out these videos:
Keaton Beach
Keaton Beach, in Taylor County, is near were Idalia landed as a strong Category 3 hurricane.
The storm surge was caught on a security camera, Pattrn.com reported.
This is the scene from Keaton Beach, where Hurricane Idalia made landfall as a Category 3 storm with winds near 125 mph. #Idalia brought devastating storm surge and powerful winds to the Big Bend of #Florida. #HurricaneIdalia pic.twitter.com/SG4MIyTZ7T
— Pattrn (@pattrn) August 30, 2023
READ MORE: Hurricane Idalia slammed into Keaton Beach, Florida. What to know about the place
Steinhatchee
In Steinhatchee, a Gulf coastal community in the southern part of Taylor County, storm surge crashed boats into a bridge around 8:40 a.m., documentarian Jonathan Petramala reported.
Storm surge from #HurricaneIdalia reversed the Steinhatchee River, tore sailboats from their moorings and they lost their masts against the bridge. #Steinhatchee #Florida pic.twitter.com/gd1fBxhMNP
— Jonathan Petramala (@jpetramala) August 30, 2023
A marina in the area also flooded.
Christie Calhoun, who evacuated Steinhatchee and headed inland about 15 miles to stay in Cross City, just told me gusts are picking up, 60-70 mph. She texted me about the view of the gulf coast town from a live webcam: “Steinhatchee is underwater right now … heartbroken.” pic.twitter.com/DCXe7V9yWa
— Joey Flechas (@joeflech) August 30, 2023
And check out this time-lapse video showing Idalia’s storm surge pushing ashore in Steinhatchee early Wednesday morning, Spectrum News Hurricane Specialist Zach Covey said.
INCREDIBLE VIDEO | Heartbreaking footage to watch. This is a time-lapse video from Steinhatchee, Florida early Wednesday morning as storm surge from Hurricane Idalia pushed ashore. Surge values could top out over 10 feet in spots around this location. #Idalia #FLwx pic.twitter.com/xyMABT0Ylq
— Zach Covey (@ZachCoveyTV) August 30, 2023
READ MORE: Hurricane Idalia is flooding Florida. Which areas are getting the worst storm surge?
Perry
Also in Taylor County, the town of Perry on Wednesday reported heavy wind damage, downed trees and damaged power lines, photos of Miami Herald staff photographer Al Diaz show.
Idalia’s powerful winds also toppled a gas station in Perry.
MUST SEE | Strong winds within the eyewall of Hurricane #Idalia toppled this gas station in Perry, Florida early Wednesday morning.
SCV / David Baxter III pic.twitter.com/HejTP6bO9P— Zach Covey (@ZachCoveyTV) August 30, 2023
Here are additional videos of Perry taken Wednesday by reporter Elena Barrera of the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper.
Now that the storm has cleared, the aftermath of #HurricaneIdalia is weighing heavy on the town of Perry.
Numerous buildings, power lines and trees are knocked down blocking roadways. @TDOnline pic.twitter.com/Pmks1WKj8F— Elena Barrera (@elenabarreraaa) August 30, 2023
Cedar Key
Meteorologist Jim Cantore reported from the second floor of a flooded structure in Cedar Key, an island city off the northwest coast of Florida and part of Levy County.
A RECORD 6.9 foot storm surge in Cedar Key, FL. Surrounded by water as expected. #UOF #idalia pic.twitter.com/o1ugmxyA0R
— Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) August 30, 2023
Water as far as the eye can see! #Idalia Cedar Key, FL pic.twitter.com/7D6rXfMMax
— Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) August 30, 2023
Incredible #Idalia storm surge 6’ and counting here at Cedar Key, FL pic.twitter.com/8MzaHJpWce
— Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) August 30, 2023
READ MORE: Is your airport open? Any delays? What to know about flying in Florida after Idalia
Idalia also destroyed a motel in the area, reporter Douglas Soule of USA Today said Wednesday.
Chunks of Beach Front Motel in Cedar Key, Florida, are missing.
Hurricane Idalia hit hard. pic.twitter.com/b1glTsRXQk— Douglas Soule (@DouglasSoule) August 30, 2023
Horseshoe Beach
This is how Horseshoe Beach, a town in Dixie County, looked in the immediate hours after Idalia made landfall, Tampa Bay Times environment reporter Max Chesnes said.
This is Horseshoe Beach in the immediate hours after Hurricane #Idalia: pic.twitter.com/b6H7pvz23x
— Max Chesnes (@MaxChesnes) August 30, 2023
READ MORE: How many people lost power after Hurricane Idalia? What to know about outages in Florida
Chesnes also took drone footage of the area.
NEW: Hurricane Idalia's storm surge finally receded from Horseshoe Beach in Florida's Big Bend
Here's the drone view of the damage. THREAD 1/ https://t.co/u4QoSPmr1v pic.twitter.com/umUhGILv76— Max Chesnes (@MaxChesnes) August 30, 2023
The coastal flooding was also caught on video, as reported by the Miami Herald’s Joey Flechas in North Florida.
View from earlier this morning in Horseshoe Beach, FL, town of fewer than 200 people right on Gulf coast in Dixie County. Yesterday, sheriff's deputy told me about 15 ppl said they'd stay in their homes & ride out the storm. It's difficult to think about that while watching this. https://t.co/5ouwfToZUz
— Joey Flechas (@joeflech) August 30, 2023
And this home surveillance camera was smacked by the Gulf’s waves.
“Truly unsurvivable.” Here’s a look at Horseshoe Beach. This camera shows catastrophic and devastating storm from Hurricane Idalia. The surge could reach up to 16 feet in some parts of Florida. pic.twitter.com/CCG0e06FKd
— John-Carlos Estrada ️ (@Mr_JCE) August 30, 2023
READ MORE: Idalia heads to Georgia, leaving floodwater and power outages in its Florida wake
Anna Maria Island
Anna Maria Island, part of Manatee County, had significant flooding Wednesday, Eyewitness News meteorologist Cody Bailey said.
The aftermath of Hurricane #Idalia. This video was taken by the father of one of our @WEHTWTVWlocal crew members, from Anna Maria Island in Florida. He has seen extensive flooding in his neighborhood, and says if the water was one foot higher, his home would have been flooded. pic.twitter.com/uQTT4SfCBg
— Cody Bailey (@CodyBaileyWX) August 30, 2023
Sarasota Herald-Tribune reporter Jesse Mendoza also reported flooding in the area around 5 p.m. Wednesday.
North Anna Maria Island still has some significant street flooding. I can't tell if it made it inside any homes, but it is definitely deep enough to question driving through it. @HeraldTribune pic.twitter.com/2HTHMo5Rdj
— Jesse Mendoza (@Reportographer) August 30, 2023
Yep, the standing floodwaters is still scary high on the north side if Anna Maria Island in Manatee County. The bridges to the island just reopened about 45 minutes ago. pic.twitter.com/1zwsmpm0on
— Jesse Mendoza (@Reportographer) August 30, 2023
And so did Fox 13 reporter Kim Kuizon and the Manatee Sheriff’s Office.
Working with @PhotogTravis out here. This is what flooding looked like before noon on Anna Maria Island. Officials say it is starting to go down. @fox13news #idalia #annamaria #holmesbeach pic.twitter.com/6VOdYiH83g
— Kim Kuizon FOX 13 (@kkuizon) August 30, 2023
Our COPS Rural deputies are accustomed to helping residents during floods. Just last year they helped people whose homes were flooded during Hurricane Ian in east Manatee Co. Now they are on Anna Maria Island helping with Hurricane #Idalia. This is some of what they’re seeing. pic.twitter.com/CXajoQnxPJ
— Manatee Sheriff (@ManateeSheriff) August 30, 2023
Tampa Bay Area
Parts of Tampa and St. Petersburg flooded on Wednesday.
Hope the message is clear today, St. Pete - STAY INSIDE and DO NOT make contact with flood water.
- DO NOT drive on flooded streets.
- Shelter in place until the evacuation order has been lifted.
️727-893-7111
️https://t.co/faEy38dQVF pic.twitter.com/yXt9uGxmAp— St. Petersburg, FL (@StPeteFL) August 30, 2023
More than 75 people rescued by our @StPeteFR team in high-flood areas. Boats are still deployed and continue rescue efforts.
We’re in this together, St. Pete.
727-893-7111 pic.twitter.com/zpxorkHGfS— St. Petersburg, FL (@StPeteFL) August 30, 2023
In the meantime, Tampa International Airport was assessing damage.
READ MORE: When will the bad weather clear after Hurricane Idalia? What to expect across Florida
Bradenton
Police had to shut down the Palma Sola Causeway and Manatee Bridge in Bradenton in Manatee County due to coastal flooding.
The Palma Sola Causeway and Manatee Bridge remain CLOSED due to unsafe driving conditions. BPD is ensuring no one attempts to cross. Another high tide around noon will send more water over the roadway. pic.twitter.com/b0qFu6YtRm
— Bradenton Police Department (@BradentonPD) August 30, 2023
READ MORE: Hurricane Idalia has cut off access to a popular beach island on Florida’s Gulf Coast
Sarasota County
Idalia flooded a section of Casey Key Road, north of Blackburn Point Road, and washed out parts of Manasota Key Road, north of Blind Pass Road, according to Sarasota County. These roads are in two separate barrier islands south of the Tampa Bay Area.
Casey Key roads are flooding. These photos are of Casey Key Road north of Blackburn Point Road and Manasota Key Road north of Blind Pass Road. Stay safe! pic.twitter.com/9KsD9wIvhr
— Sarasota County Government (@SRQCountyGov) August 30, 2023
Do you want to see more photos? Check out these below taken by Miami Herald staff photographer Al Diaz.
