A general view of the commercial area around Cedar Key Fishing Pier ahead of...READ ON
A general view of the commercial area around Cedar Key Fishing Pier ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello CEDAR KEY UNITED STATES
People carry boxes out of a gift shop ahead of the arrival of Hurricane...READ ON
People carry boxes out of a gift shop ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Idalia in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello CEDAR KEY UNITED STATES
A man drills as he boards up a restaurant ahead of the arrival of Hurricane...READ ON
A man drills as he boards up a restaurant ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello CEDAR KEY UNITED STATES
Volunteers place hurricane shutters at the Cedar Key Fire Station ahead of...READ ON
Volunteers place hurricane shutters at the Cedar Key Fire Station ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello CEDAR KEY UNITED STATES
A volunteer places hurricane shutters at the Cedar Key Fire Station ahead of...READ ON
A volunteer places hurricane shutters at the Cedar Key Fire Station ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello CEDAR KEY UNITED STATES
Workers clean up a blockade at Interstate 75 (I-75) highway after the arrival...READ ON
Workers clean up a blockade at Interstate 75 (I-75) highway after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, near Gainesville, Florida, U.S., August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello GAINESVILLE UNITED STATES
A person moves tree branches after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Perry,...READ ON
A person moves tree branches after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Perry, Florida, U.S., August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello PERRY UNITED STATES
A person prunes a fallen tree after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in...READ ON
A person prunes a fallen tree after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Perry, Florida, U.S., August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello PERRY UNITED STATES
An American flag is seen in a front porch of a house after the arrival of...READ ON
An American flag is seen in a front porch of a house after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Perry, Florida, U.S., August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello PERRY UNITED STATES
People carry a tree branch after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Perry,...READ ON
People carry a tree branch after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Perry, Florida, U.S., August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello PERRY UNITED STATES
People prune a fallen tree after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Perry,...READ ON
People prune a fallen tree after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Perry, Florida, U.S., August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello PERRY UNITED STATES
Army members patrol in Keaton Beach, where Hurricane Idalia made landfall,...READ ON
Army members patrol in Keaton Beach, where Hurricane Idalia made landfall, Florida, U.S., August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello KEATON BEACH UNITED STATES
Army members patrol in Keaton Beach, where Hurricane Idalia made landfall,...READ ON
Army members patrol in Keaton Beach, where Hurricane Idalia made landfall, Florida, U.S., August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello KEATON BEACH UNITED STATES
View of a damaged property in Keaton Beach, where Hurricane Idalia made...READ ON
View of a damaged property in Keaton Beach, where Hurricane Idalia made landfall, Florida, U.S., August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello KEATON BEACH UNITED STATES
A tie-locked swing is seen in a damaged property in Keaton Beach, where...READ ON
A tie-locked swing is seen in a damaged property in Keaton Beach, where Hurricane Idalia made landfall, Florida, U.S., August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello KEATON BEACH UNITED STATES
A person walks near fallen tree branches in Keaton Beach, where Hurricane...READ ON
A person walks near fallen tree branches in Keaton Beach, where Hurricane Idalia made landfall, Florida, U.S., August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello KEATON BEACH UNITED STATES
A sign is seen outside a restaurant after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in...READ ON
A sign is seen outside a restaurant after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello CEDAR KEY UNITED STATES
An image depicting former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is seen in...READ ON
An image depicting former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is seen in a business window after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello CEDAR KEY UNITED STATES
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, accompanied by his wife Casey, visits an...READ ON
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, accompanied by his wife Casey, visits an affected area in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello CEDAR KEY UNITED STATES
People clean up a coffee shop after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar...READ ON
People clean up a coffee shop after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello CEDAR KEY UNITED STATES
People clean up a shop after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key,...READ ON
People clean up a shop after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello CEDAR KEY UNITED STATES
A woman is seen reflected in a window as she cleans up a coffee shop after...READ ON
A woman is seen reflected in a window as she cleans up a coffee shop after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello CEDAR KEY UNITED STATES
A man carries bricks as he clean up a coffee shop after the arrival of...READ ON
A man carries bricks as he clean up a coffee shop after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello CEDAR KEY UNITED STATES
Flooded water marks left by the storm surge are seen in a wall after the...READ ON
Flooded water marks left by the storm surge are seen in a wall after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello CEDAR KEY UNITED STATES
Hurricane Idalia plowed into Florida's Gulf Coast on August 30 with howling winds, torrential rains and pounding surf. Nearly 36 hours after plowing ashore from the Gulf of Mexico at Keaton Beach in Florida's Big Bend region, packing Category 3 winds of nearly 125 miles per hour (201 kph), Idalia weakened from a tropical storm to a post-tropical cyclone and drifted out into the Atlantic.
The storm brought fierce winds and drove surging seawater miles inland, strewing the area with fallen trees, power lines and debris. Many buildings were in shambles, and power outages were widespread.
The storm ranked as the most powerful hurricane in more than a century to strike the Big Bend region, a sparsely populated area laced with marshland, rivers and springs where the state's northern Gulf Coast panhandle curves into the western side of the Florida Peninsula. Photo and video coverage for Reuters