Hurricane Isaias made landfall in the Florida panhandle as a Category 2 hurricane, then pushed north through Alabama overnight with heavy rain and powerful winds. Early Saturday, a tree fell onto a home on Monterey Drive in Birmingham. Birmingham Fire and Rescue responded just after midnight to reports of two people trapped inside. One person was pronounced dead at the scene, and authorities have not yet released the condition of the second person.
The death is a reminder that hurricane danger does not stop at the coastline. Inland communities face falling trees, saturated ground, and downed power lines long after landfall, often in the overnight hours when residents are asleep and least prepared to react.
For those of us on the Suncoast, the practical takeaway is simple. Look at the trees on your property before the next system forms in the Gulf, keep your storm kit stocked, and have a plan for where you would shelter if a limb came through your roof at two in the morning. Do you have a tree close enough to your home to worry you during a storm?
