Isaias Recovery Sunday Evening: 300,000 Still Without Power, CHELCO Below 50% Out, Shoal River Nears Crest at Crestview

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday that about 200,000 utility accounts had been restored by noon after Hurricane Isaias, while about 300,000 remained without power. Florida Power & Light still expects to restore 95% of its affected customers by the end of Monday, and electric cooperatives serving parts of the Panhandle are targeting Tuesday for full restoration. Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative (CHELCO) said in its 3 PM update that fewer than 50% of its members remain affected, with 38,015 still out, including 29,591 in Walton County (55%) and 8,008 in Okaloosa County (36%). Escambia River Electric Cooperative said Sunday morning that all six of its Santa Rosa County substations were without power because of damage to PowerSouth transmission lines.

The Shoal River near Crestview was at 12.5 feet at 3:15 PM CDT Sunday, in moderate flood, and the National Weather Service still forecasts a crest of 13.8 feet this evening. NWS says homes on the south bank of the river begin to flood near Crestview at 13 feet, and the river is expected to fall below flood stage early Tuesday afternoon. State officials said they are watching the Blackwater and Shoal rivers near U.S. 90 and Interstate 10 in the Crestview area, with search-and-rescue teams on standby. Farther east, the Choctawhatchee River near Caryville is still forecast to rise above its 14-foot flood stage early Thursday and crest at 14.1 feet.

Elsewhere in Florida, NWS Melbourne issued Flood Advisories Sunday afternoon for parts of Martin and St. Lucie counties, including Stuart, Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce, where 1 to 2 inches of rain had fallen on already saturated ground with 1 to 3 more inches possible. A Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect until 8 AM Monday along the St. Johns River south of downtown Jacksonville. In the tropics, the National Hurricane Center's 2 PM EDT outlook is watching a low a few hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, far out in the eastern Atlantic, with a low 20% chance of development over the next 7 days. Nothing is threatening the U.S.

If water got into your home or business, take photos for your insurance claim and start drying out as soon as it is safe. Florida Restoration Specialists does water extraction and drying in Lakeland and across Polk County. Call (863) 588-6617.

Sources: CBS12: DeSantis Isaias recovery update, FPL: Nearly 45% of customers restored in first 24 hours, CHELCO: Hurricane Isaias 3 PM update, WALA: EREC Santa Rosa County outage update, NWS Shoal River near Crestview gauge, NWS Choctawhatchee River at Caryville gauge, NWS active Florida alerts, NHC Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook.