Hurricane Isaias tore across parts of the Southeast over the weekend, leaving multiple people dead in Florida and Alabama as heavy rain and ferocious winds toppled large trees into residential homes.
In Florida, a 57-year-old human resources worker, Jenn Biggs Williams, was killed after a massive tree smashed through the roof of her home, the New York Post reported. Her husband of 10 years, Joey Williams, told NewsNation that the couple had briefly stepped outside to inspect damage before returning indoors, where the crashing tree trapped them both in their living room.
Williams told NewsNation that he squeezed out from under the debris, but his wife died almost instantly as 100 mph winds battered the area. Williams said he ran to a neighbor to plead for assistance, but first responders had to cut through the trunk to reach her. “I watched the love of my life for 10 years go into the back of a coroner’s van and head down that road,” Williams told NewsNation, remembering her as an “ultra-nice badass person” who was beloved by family and coworkers.
A separate fatality occurred in Escambia County, Florida, where a person was discovered deceased inside a closed garage that contained an operating generator, according to an NBC report cited by WVTM.
Fatal Incidents in Alabama
Across state lines in Alabama, severe weather caused widespread destruction and claimed additional lives. In Birmingham, emergency responders were called after midnight to the 1300 block of Monterey Drive in the Spring Lake neighborhood near Huffman, according to the Birmingham Fire Department.
Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency Director Jim Coker confirmed that one person died after becoming trapped inside the residence, WVTM reported. Family members and a neighbor, Orlando Vickers Jr., told WVTM that two brothers were inside when a tree was uprooted and tore directly through a bedroom. Vickers, who operates a lawn care business across the street, said the surviving brother had fallen through a hole created by the impact and came knocking on his door around 4 a.m. for help because the house door was locked. When Vickers went inside, he found the man in bed unresponsive.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced that two people in the state had died as the storm swept through from Friday night into Saturday morning, WSFA reported. In addition to the victim in Birmingham, a second storm-related fatality occurred in Barbour County, the governor’s office said.
Cleanup and Emergency Response
“This storm cannot clear fast enough. It brought in heavy winds throughout Alabama, taking down trees, knocking out power and doing some damage,” Ivey said in a statement reported by WSFA. She extended prayers to grieving families and thanked road and utility workers deployed across the state.
Ivey noted that all major roadways, including the Intracoastal Waterway, had reopened, though linemen continued working to restore electricity and clear roads blocked by fallen wires, such as a segment of U.S. Highway 31 north of Brewton. The governor also lifted an emergency proclamation that had mandated the evacuation of non-residents in parts of Baldwin and Mobile counties, according to WSFA.
Utility crews and community volunteers continued clearing debris and restoring power across the affected regions on Sunday, while state officials worked to gather additional information surrounding the storm fatality in Barbour County.
