Hurricane Idalia: Tree falls on Ron DeSantis’ house moments after he warned people to stay safe
A 100-year-old oak tree has fallen on the governor of Florida’s mansion as he warned people to stay safe during Hurricane Idalia.
Ron DeSantis’ wife Casey has said family members were home at the time but nobody was injured.
“Our prayers are with everyone impacted by the storm”, she said.
Mr DeSantis had moments earlier given a news conference where he said there had been no deaths as a result of the storm but warned people to stay safe.
He also said 250,000 homes are without power.
Idalia made landfall in Florida as a dangerous Category 3 storm and later crossed into Georgia still as a hurricane.
It was later downgraded to a Category 2 storm as its centre moved towards southern Georgia.
Hurricane Idalia latest – follow live updates
Idalia is now a Category 1 storm but has caused flooding with more water expected at high tide on Wednesday afternoon local time.
Mr DeSantis said during the news conference there have been no deaths as a result of the storm but urged people to stay safe.
“Don’t put your life at risk by doing anything dumb at this point,” he said. “This thing’s powerful. If you’re inside, just hunker down until it gets past you.”
Florida Highway Patrol earlier said two men, aged 40 and 59, had died in separate “weather-related” crashes.
However, Mr DeSantis’ comments suggest the deaths are not being attributed to Idalia.
Meanwhile, a senior Florida official has said businesses have caught fire, roofs have been blown off and two 911 centres temporarily went offline during the storm.
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Power drops as Ron DeSantis gives briefing
The worst impacted city was Perry, where firefighters tackled two blazes and one house “potentially” collapsed, according to Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Madison County has been hit hard too.
“They have a lot of debris on the ground and about 99% power outages,” he said.
“A couple” of 911 centres went offline for approximately half an hour and there are some “minor backlogs” in the counties of Madison and Taylor, Mr Guthrie added.
“There is no one in distress who has not been taken care of.”
Ken Welch, the mayor of St Petersburg in Florida, said parts of the city have been hit with about 4ft (1.2m) of storm surge.
He added more water is expected at high tide on Wednesday afternoon local time.
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A woman and her dog paddle through waters in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Pic: AP
Floodwaters in Gulfport, Fla., as Hurricane. Pic: AP
Mr Welch says there remains a risk from tornadoes and live downed power lines. No deaths in the city had been reported by late morning although some neighbourhoods were flooded.
Three major bridges, including the Sunshine Skyway across the mouth of Tampa Bay, remained closed.
“Make no mistake, this hurricane left its mark. The reality is we are not done dealing with the consequences of this major storm,” Mr Welch said.
Images show floodwaters have submerged cars and left residential streets under water.
A submerged car in Cedar Key, Florida
Meanwhile, Georgia Governor Brain Kemp has said between nine and 10 inches of rain has fallen in some areas of the state today.
He said some 61,000 people are currently without power.
Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, said wind gusts of 60mph to 80mph could still do “a lot of damage” in Georgia, according to Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather.
He added that there are a lot of trees in the states affected that could come down and injure people or block roads.
Mr Porter said: “We don’t want people to let their guard down here as this storm continues to be very dangerous.
“Just because the maximum sustained winds of the storm will be coming down, there is still going to remain a significant risk to people.”
Police in Tennessee have discovered 14 improvised explosive devices in a man’s home as they were arresting him, the local sheriff’s office said.
Officers were executing a warrant in the home of Kevin Wade O’Neal in Old Fort, about 45 miles (70km) east of Chattanooga, after he had threatened to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County.
After arresting the 54-year-old, officers noticed “something smouldering” in the bedroom where he was found.
Kevin Wade O’Neal. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
On closer inspection, they discovered an improvised explosive device and evacuated the house until bomb squad officers arrived at the scene.
Fourteen devices were found inside the property – none of which detonated.
Improvised explosive devices were found in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home in Old Fort, Tennessee. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
O’Neal was charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, corresponding to nine officers and two other people inside the property when the suspect tried to detonate the devices.
He also faces 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components.
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O’Neal is being held at the Polk County jail and his bond is yet to be determined.
Donald Trump says he has ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the “appropriate regions” in a row with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
It comes after Mr Medvedev, who is now deputy chair of Russia‘s Security Council, told the US president on Thursday to remember Moscow had Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort.
On Friday, Mr Trump wrote on social media: “Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.
“Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
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Trump: ‘We’re going to protect our people’
Speaking outside the White House later in the day, Mr Trump was asked about why he had moved the submarines and replied: “We had to do that. We just have to be careful.
“A threat was made and we didn’t think it was appropriate, so I have to be very careful. So I do that on the basis of safety for our people. A threat was made by a former president of Russia and we’re going to protect our people.”
The spat between Mr Trump and Mr Medvedev came after the US president warned Russia on Tuesday it had “10 days from today” to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or face tariffs, along with its oil buyers.
Moscow has shown no sign that it will agree to Mr Trump’s demands.
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On Thursday, Mr Medvedev reminded Mr Trump that Russia possessed a Soviet-era automated nuclear retaliatory system – or “dead hand”.
Mr Medvedev, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was referring to a secretive semi-automated Soviet command system designed to launch Russia’s missiles if its leadership was taken out in a decapitating strike.
He made the remarks after Mr Trump told him to “watch his words” after Mr Medvedev said the US president’s threat of hitting Russia and its oil buyers with punitive tariffs was “a game of ultimatums” and added that “each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war” between Russia and the US.
Dmitry Medvedev. Pic: Reuters
Mr Medvedev served as Russia’s president from 2008 and 2012, when Mr Putin was barred from seeking a third consecutive term, but then stepped aside to let him run again.
As deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, he has become known for his provocative and inflammatory statements since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.
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