Hurricane Isaias death toll rises to 6 in Florida as storm recovery continues
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced four additional storm-related deaths Tuesday as crews continue cleanup and restoration efforts across the Florida Panhandle.
Pensacola Beach residents spending the weekend cleaning up following Hurricane Isaias' damage to Florida
Pensacola Beach, Florida, was one of the hardest hit areas after Hurricane Isaias made landfall on Friday night, with storm surge, heavy rain and hurricane-force winds causing damage. FOX Weather Senior Correspondent checks in with a couple cleaning up the muck and debris in their home and yard right off the water in Pensacola Beach. Hear what they have to say:
THE TAKEAWAY
- Florida’s storm-related death toll from Hurricane Isaias has risen to six, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday.
- The deaths include a tree-related accident during cleanup, a fatal car crash and two deaths linked to disruptions in medical treatment.
- Florida experienced the storm’s worst impacts, including destructive wind gusts reaching 118 mph, torrential rain and storm surge that left Panhandle communities devastated.
VERNON, Florida – The death toll in Florida from Hurricane Isaias has risen to six, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced during a news conference Tuesday.
The updated storm-related death toll follows reports of two additional deaths: a woman who was killed when a tree fell on her home in Escambia County and a man who died from carbon monoxide poisoning after improperly using a generator.
In an aerial view, trees litter the street and tops of homes after Hurricane Isaias passed through the area on October 10, 2026, in Milton, Florida. Hurricane Isaias made landfall as the season's first Atlantic hurricane with category two winds. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Gov. DeSantis said the newly announced deaths occurred "a little bit more post-storm" and were "attenuated from the storm."
"The way Florida has typically done this is it's not just if the storm knocks over your house and somebody gets killed, they kind of link anything that is even a fallout of the storm," Gov. DeSantis said.
Gov. DeSantis described the four storm-related deaths as a "tragic accident" involving a falling tree during cleanup, one death in a car accident and two deaths resulting from disruptions to medical treatment.
Hurricane Isaias damage in Pensacola Beach, Florida
Buildings in Pensacola Beach were significantly damaged during Hurricane Isaias on Friday. Hurricane-force winds upwards of 100 mph slammed the city, ripping roofs off of buildings and tossing them yards away. Drone footage shows some of the damage.
The grim update comes as recovery efforts continue across a concentrated area of northwest Florida, days after the dangerous Category 2 hurricane made landfall near Destin on the Gulf Coast around 9:30 p.m. ET Friday.
Two additional storm-related deaths were reported in Alabama, including one person who was killed when a tree fell onto a Birmingham home. Details surrounding the second death were not immediately available.
A home is partially destroyed after Hurricane Isaias came ashore. Hurricane Isaias made landfall Friday, October 9 along the U.S. Gulf coast. (Jen Golbeck/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Florida bore the brunt of Isaias' worst landfall impacts, with destructive wind gusts reaching 118 mph, heavy rain and dramatic storm surge leaving communities along the Panhandle in shambles.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said about 95% of customers who lost power during Hurricane Isaias had been restored.
'HISTORIC' EL NIÑO INCREASINGLY LIKELY, WITH 83% CHANCE OF BECOMING THE STRONGEST ON RECORD
The storm left more than 400,000 Florida customers without power at one point during landfall on Oct. 9. Over 45,000 customers remained without power Tuesday, primarily in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, according to PowerOutage.com.
In an aerial view, a worker with Southern Land Services removes a tree that landed on a home when Hurricane Isaias passed through the area on October 10, 2026, in Milton, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
In Escambia County alone, initial damage assessments following the damaging hurricane are estimating approximately $64 million in costs for county repairs, emergency response and recovery efforts.
FLORIDA MEMORIAL BENCH SWEPT AWAY DURING HURRICANE HELENE FOUND OVER 1,000 MILES AWAY IN BERMUDA
Florida’s state-led Hurricane Isaias recovery effort is shifting from immediate response to aftermath impacts like debris removal, damage assessments and aid distribution across the Panhandle.