Hurricane Isaias damage: repair and recovery help
Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, on October 9, 2026, then moved across southern Alabama and into Georgia, bringing wind damage, falling trees, flooding and widespread power outages. If your property was damaged, make it safe, stop further damage with tarps and water removal, document everything, and then arrange repairs. Call 833-877-1717 to request an independent provider.
RepairNowUSA editorial review · Last substantively reviewed October 14, 2026 · Review standards
What happened
According to CBS News reporting, Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, around 8 p.m. ET on Friday, October 9, 2026, as a Category 2 hurricane, after briefly reaching Category 3 strength. It weakened to a post-tropical cyclone over southern Alabama early on October 10 and continued north.
- Power: more than 880,000 customers in Florida, Alabama and Georgia lost power at the peak, with outages also reported in Mississippi, the Carolinas and Tennessee.
- Damage reported: roofs torn off buildings in Pensacola, Gulf Breeze and Milton, downed trees and power lines across the Panhandle and southern Alabama, and road closures from debris and flooding.
- Rain: the National Hurricane Center forecast up to 8 inches across southern Alabama, the Panhandle and southwest Georgia, with localized higher totals.
- Declarations: federal emergency declarations were approved for Florida, Alabama and Georgia.
Reported deaths included two people killed when trees fell on houses and one person killed by generator exhaust in a closed garage. Those are the two dangers to take most seriously during cleanup.
Safety during cleanup
- Generators: run them only outdoors, far from doors, windows and vents. Never in a garage, even with the door open. Make sure carbon monoxide alarms work.
- Trees: stay out of rooms under a tree resting on the house, and do not cut a tree that is on a structure or under tension.
- Power lines: treat every downed line as live and keep well away. Report it to the utility.
- Floodwater: do not walk or drive through it. It can hide downed lines, debris and sewage.
- Electricity and water: do not turn power back on in areas that flooded until an electrician checks the wiring and equipment.
- Heat and exhaustion: cleanup in hot, humid weather is hard on the body. Take breaks and drink water.
Stop further damage first
Insurers generally expect owners to take reasonable steps to prevent more damage. Before permanent repairs:
- Roof openings: get an emergency tarp on missing shingles, holes and tree punctures. See emergency roof tarping.
- Broken windows and doors: board them up. See emergency board-up.
- Water inside: extract it and start drying within a day or two to limit mold. See flooded house guide.
- Tree on the house: see what to do when a tree falls on your house.
Document for insurance and FEMA
- Photograph and video every side of the building, the roof from the ground, each damaged room and damaged belongings, before cleanup.
- Keep receipts for tarps, board-up, tree removal, generators, fuel, hotels and food you had to replace.
- Note whether damage came from wind or from rising water. Standard homeowners policies usually cover wind damage but not flooding from outside, which needs flood insurance.
- Many policies in Gulf states have a separate hurricane or named-storm deductible. Check your declarations page.
- The federal emergency declarations mainly support state and local response. Help for individual households usually depends on a later major disaster declaration for your county. Check DisasterAssistance.gov to see what is available where you live.
Hire carefully after a hurricane
- Storm events bring out-of-area and door-to-door contractors. Check state licensing where required and ask for proof of insurance.
- Get written estimates, and read any contract or assignment-of-benefits form before signing.
- Avoid paying the full price before work starts.
- Florida and Alabama have contractor licensing agencies you can check online.
Getting repair help
When you call 833-877-1717, say what was damaged (roof, tree, water, windows, power or HVAC), the property ZIP code and whether the building is safe to enter. RepairNowUSA looks for a participating independent provider for that work in your area. Demand is very high after a hurricane, so availability and response times vary and are not guaranteed.
How RepairNowUSA can help
Call 833-877-1717 and describe what is happening and the property ZIP code. RepairNowUSA looks for a participating independent provider for that kind of work in your area and connects you if one is available. The provider confirms timing, scope and price with you and does the work. Availability and response times vary and are not guaranteed.
Call 833-877-1717Common questions
Does homeowners insurance cover Hurricane Isaias damage?
Wind damage is usually covered by homeowners policies, often with a separate hurricane deductible in Gulf states. Flooding from storm surge or rising water usually needs separate flood insurance. Your policy and adjuster decide coverage.
Can I get FEMA help for Isaias damage?
Federal emergency declarations were approved for Florida, Alabama and Georgia. Help for individual households usually depends on a later major disaster declaration for your county. Check DisasterAssistance.gov for current availability.
Should I tarp my roof before the adjuster comes?
Usually yes. Photograph the damage first, keep the receipt, and make reasonable temporary repairs to prevent more water damage.
Is it safe to run a generator in my garage with the door open?
No. Carbon monoxide can build up to deadly levels in a garage even with the door open. Run generators outdoors only, far from doors, windows and vents.
Can I call any time?
Yes. You can call 833-877-1717 at any time, including nights, weekends and holidays. Whether an independent provider can come out right away depends on your ZIP code, the time and provider capacity, so availability is not guaranteed.
Authoritative references
These public sources give general safety context. They do not replace an on-site evaluation, and RepairNowUSA does not perform the work.
- CBS News — Isaias live updates (landfall, outages, damage)
- FEMA — Emergency declaration 3655 (Florida, Hurricane Isaias)
- FEMA — Emergency declaration 3656 (Alabama, Hurricane Isaias)
- FEMA — Emergency declaration 3657 (Georgia, Hurricane Isaias)
- DisasterAssistance.gov — Apply for federal disaster assistance
- FloodSmart (National Flood Insurance Program)
- Ready.gov — Hurricanes
- CDC — About Carbon Monoxide