Governors of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida declared states of emergency as a downsized Fema faces first major test

Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, on Friday evening, sweeping ashore from the northern Gulf of Mexico as the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2026 season.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said the center of the cyclone made landfall at 9.30pm ET as a category 2 hurricane with winds reaching 105 mph (165km/h). Two hours later, it was downgraded to a category 1 storm.