Photos Show Hurricane Idalia Wreaking Havoc On Florida Communities
Hurricane Idalia ripped through Florida’s Big Bend region Wednesday, bringing record-high floodwaters to communities along the state’s Gulf Coast.
Idalia, which made landfall as a Category 3 storm early in the day, is the strongest hurricane to land in the region in more than a century. There are at least two traffic deaths potentially connected to the storm, and nearly 400,000 people have lost power in Florida and Georgia, where the hurricane is beginning to unleash its fury.
President Joe Biden called on Americans to recognize the record-breaking storm, along with several other ongoing weather disasters, as a symptom of a warming planet.
“I don’t think anybody can deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore. Just look around,” he said in remarks on Wednesday. “Historic floods, more intense droughts, extreme heat, significant wildfires have caused significant damage like we have never seen before.”
See the photos below of the storm’s impact on the Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula.
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Makatla Ritchter, left, and her mother, Keiphra Line, wade through floodwaters after having to evacuate their home in Tarpon Springs, Florida.
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Ken Kruse looks out at the floodwaters from Hurricane Idalia surrounding his apartment complex in Tarpon Springs.
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Vehicles attempt to travel on a flooded road in Tampa, Florida.
via Associated Press
Don Hawthorne walks across his flooded yard in unincorporated Pinellas County, Florida.
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A flooded street is seen near Steinhatchee, Florida.
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A shop owner in Tarpon Springs uses a sump pump to try to keep water out of his store.
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In an aerial view, a burnt home smolders as it is surrounded by floodwaters.
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Women stand in a flooded street in Crystal River, Florida.
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Residents rescued from their flooded homes step out of a high-water truck in Crystal River.
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James Mack and his daughter sweep floodwaters from their home in New Port Richey, Florida.
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People wade through flooded streets in New Port Richey.
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Floodwaters cover a road in New Port Richey.
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An aerial view shows a flooded street in New Port Richey.
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A person rides a kayak through the flooded streets in Tarpon Springs.
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Cars sit in floodwaters in Tarpon Springs.
via Associated Press
A woman walks through floodwater along Bayshore Blvd. in Tampa.
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An electric pole leans over sideways in Steinhatchee.
