On Thursday, August 31, Florida was hit by widespread flooding after Hurricane Idalia, now a tropical storm, tore up trees and power lines in its wake and swept across the state of Georgia. Idalia, which brought winds of up to 150 km/h, made landfall at 7:45 am local time near Keaton Beach, Florida, as a category 3 hurricane (on a scale of 5), according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). It has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.

Water levels have risen rapidly in some towns, but the state has so far reported no fatalities, Governor Ron DeSantis said at a news conference.

Despite the damage, authorities seem to believe that the worst has been avoided. "We were really spared and blessed," said Levy County Sheriff Robert McCallum. Some of the affected areas "had never been hit by a major hurricane before," explained DeSantis.

"Idalia is the strongest storm (...) to make landfall in this part of Florida in over 100 years," explained Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), adding that 1,500 federal employees had been deployed. American President Joe Biden met again on Wednesday with DeSantis, who is running for president in 2024, to pledge his support and coordinate the federal response, she added.

Florida had already been hit by Hurricane Ian at the end of September 2022, which claimed almost 150 lives and caused extensive damage in its path across the southwestern part of the state. Scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the planet warms due to climate change. "I don't think anybody can deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore. Just look around," said Biden, citing "historic floods" and the recent devastating fires in Hawaii and Canada.