Idalia touched down in Florida's Big Bend region on Wednesday morning as a powerful Category 3 hurricane -- the strongest hurricane to ever make landfall in the Apalachee Bay.
Idalia has since weakened into a tropical storm and moved inland over Georgia and the Carolinas.
President Joe Biden plans to travel to Florida on Saturday to survey the damage from Hurricane Idalia, he told reporters during a visit at FEMA headquarters.
The visit was billed as one to thank FEMA staff for their work during the hurricane and the Maui wildfires.
Biden noted that he once again spoke with Florida governor and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis on Thursday.
"Governor DeSantis and I spoke again this morning and let him know that I accrued his major disaster declaration," Biden said.
Earlier this week, before Idalia made landfall, I approved an Emergency Declaration at the request of Governor DeSantis and directed FEMA to pre-deploy resources so we could respond in the hurricane’s aftermath as quickly as possible.As we continue to monitor the storm, teams…
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 31, 2023
If your area was affected by #Idalia, it's best to stay off the roads to keep them clear for emergency workers — they may be assisting people in flooded areas or cleaning up debris. If you must go outside, be alert for hazards like downed power lines, contaminated water & debris. pic.twitter.com/OT3UDkPVRt
— FEMA (@fema) August 31, 2023
-ABC News' Molly Nagle
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visited Steinhatchee in Florida's Big Bend region on Thursday to survey the damage caused by Idalia.
"I'm seeing a lot of damage, and I'm also seeing a lot of resiliency," DeSantis said.
The governor said 135,000 customers are still without power in the state and noted that there have been 430,000 restorations since the storm hit on Wednesday.
DeSantis said most schools that closed due to the hurricane will be open by Friday.
-ABC News' Will McDuffie and Hannah Demissie
Tropical Storm Idalia is moving off the North Carolina coast and heading out to sea.
Rain and gusty winds will continue to hit North Carolina's Outer Banks through the afternoon before trailing off Thursday evening.
Parts of eastern North Carolina recorded more than 6 inches of rain, causing flash flooding Thursday morning.
Scenes from #Idalia in #NC. #NCDOT working hard to monitor flooded roads in our coastal counties. If a sign is blocking the roadway, do NOT go around it. #ncwx pic.twitter.com/SQhLoSyiZt
— NCDOT Southern Coast (@NCDOT_Scoast) August 31, 2023
Charleston, which is vulnerable to flooding, recorded a storm surge of 3.47 feet -- its fifth highest on record.
@NWSCharlestonSC #skywarn #scwx #chswx #Idalia #IDALIAhurricane pic.twitter.com/5FIBFmftS2
— Chris Stinson (@KC8YTK) August 31, 2023
But Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said the city "really dodged the bullet" of Hurricane Idalia.
"The wind and the rain impact were pretty minimal," he said Thursday.
Twenty-two water rescues were reported, which mostly were for people trapped in flooded cars, the mayor said.
Ripping good on Edisto Beach with the last squall #chswx #Idalia pic.twitter.com/7ewDWHE0c1
— Kevin Verbrugge🎣 (@SurfFisher48) August 30, 2023
-ABC News' Jason Volack
