Hurricane Isaias: The Bay County Recap

Hurricane Isaias made landfall around 8:30 Friday night near Destin as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Hours earlier it had peaked at 115 mph over the Gulf. Bay County spent the night on the storm’s messy side.

The NOAA water level gauge in Panama City Beach measured 5.6 feet above mean higher high water as the surge came in.

Our dispatch log counted 119 calls overnight: trees across roads, power lines down, and the Lake Powell power saga that pulled crews back for five separate calls. In Panama City Beach, a power line came down over a camper with a person trapped inside – bystanders got them out before fire crews took over. Streets in Lynn Haven flooded in the heaviest rain. And a large alligator stopped traffic in front of the Chick-fil-A on the beach, because landfall night apparently was not strange enough on its own.

Saturday morning, FDOT cut-and-toss crews were out before sunrise clearing debris, and pump trucks spent the day pulling water off flooded roads. Some traffic signals are still dark – treat every dark intersection as a four-way stop.

Recovery continues today. If you spot a hazard, report it to the county, and give utility and road crews room to work.

Photos: Florida Department of Transportation, District 3 crews working flooded Northwest Florida roads, including Panama City. Storm numbers: National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service (preliminary).