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Climate

How Hurricane Idalia Swamped Florida, in 9 Striking Photos

The region faces a long road to recovery.

Jacob Lambert •
08/31/2023

While it appears that Hurricane Idalia may not have been as destructive as initally feared, the storm still incurred plenty of damage, with heavy rains and flash flooding stretching from Florida’s Gulf Coast to eastern North Carolina. Nearly 300,000 customers have been left without power, scores of homes were lost, and as these photos show, the region will face a long road to recovery.

Flooded Tarpon Springs.A fire burns as flood waters inundate downtown Tarpon Springs, Florida, after Hurricane Idalia. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A woman and her dog walking through floodwaters.A woman and her dog walk through floodwaters in Tarpon Springs.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A man walking his bike through floodwaters.A man walks his bike past his flooded apartment in Crystal River, Florida.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

People kayaking through flooded streets.People kayak through flooded streets in Crystal River.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A submerged car.A car that crashed after hitting a fallen tree sits in a gully in Perry, Florida.Sean Rayford/Getty Images

A storm-damaged gas station.A storm-damaged gas station in Perry.Sean Rayford/Getty Images

A storm-damaged Dollar Tree.A storm-damaged Dollar Tree store in Perry.Sean Rayford/Getty Images

A storm-damaged McDonald's sign.A storm-damaged McDonald's sign in Perry.Sean Rayford/Getty Images

People working to clear Interstate 10 of fallen trees.People work to clear Interstate 10 of fallen trees near Madison, Florida.Sean Rayford/Getty Images

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Jacob Lambert profile image

Jacob Lambert

Jacob is Heatmap's founding multimedia editor. Before joining Heatmap, he was The Week's digital art director and an associate editor at MAD magazine.

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