Hurricane Isaias Blamed for 4 Deaths

Isaias peeled off hotel and condominium rooftops and facades along the Florida Panhandle before charging north Saturday, dishing out torrential rains and the threat of flash floods and tornadoes across the Southeast, per the AP. At least four deaths were linked to the storm, including two people killed when trees fell onto homes in Florida and Alabama. Forecasters warned that flooding could stretch into the Appalachians. Isaias came ashore as a Category 2 hurricane Friday near Destin, Florida, a Gulf Coast vacation spot filled with high-rises and tourist shops.

In Florida's Escambia County, Sheriff Chip Simmons said a woman was killed when a tree fell on her home, and a man died of carbon monoxide fumes from a generator running in his garage. Four of the man's family members, ranging in age from 4 to 72, were treated but expected to survive, the sheriff said. In Alabama, one person died when a tree fell on a house in Birmingham, said Cory Moon, the city's fire chief. A second storm-related death in Alabama was attributed to a motor vehicle crash involving a downed tree in Barbour County.