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I’m praying for everybody who’s going through this right now — the families who lost loved ones, the people who lost their homes, everybody still sitting in the dark. We’re standing with you.

Hey y’all, it’s Frederick. I had to put the entertainment news on pause for a minute today because our neighbors across the Southeast are hurting. Hurricane Isaias tore through Florida and Alabama this weekend, and the damage is real. Four people are gone. Families are grieving. And as I’m writing this on Monday, more than 160,000 of our brothers and sisters are still without power. So before anything else — prayers up. For real.

Here’s what we know. Isaias made landfall late Friday night near Destin, Florida, as a Category 2 hurricane packing 105 mph winds, with gusts up to 118 mph slamming the Panhandle. The storm didn’t play around. At least four lives were lost — two in Florida and two in Alabama. In Escambia County, Florida, a woman was killed when a tree crashed through her home. In another Florida tragedy, a man died of carbon monoxide poisoning after running a generator inside his garage — thank God four of his family members survived. In Alabama, two more souls were lost in Jefferson County and Barbour County when trees fell on their homes.

The numbers tell the story of how hard this storm hit. Nearly 900,000 customers lost power at the peak of the storm. As of Monday morning, more than 140,000 people in Florida and 21,000 in Alabama are still sitting in the dark. Rain totals were staggering — over 12 inches in parts of the Florida Panhandle, including 12.47 inches in DeFuniak Springs, and 12.97 inches in Bellwood, Alabama. In Panama City Beach, storm surge reached 5.6 feet above high tide — the second-highest ever recorded there. At least eight tornadoes touched down across Georgia and the Carolinas. And Isaias wasn’t done — its remnants flooded mountain roads in western North Carolina and triggered landslides on Sunday. Flood watches are still in effect across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic into Monday.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said “it could have been worse,” noting that landfall came just hours before high tide — a small mercy that likely kept the surge from being even more catastrophic.

Now listen — I need y’all to hear this safety message loud and clear, because one of these deaths was preventable: NEVER run a generator inside your garage or your home. Not during the storm, not after. Carbon monoxide is silent and it kills. Move it outside, far away from windows and doors. Please.

To everybody in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas — we see you, we love you, and we’re praying for a fast recovery. If you’ve got family down there, check on them today. And if you’re in a position to help, now’s the time. Drop a prayer in the comments for the Southeast — let’s flood heaven with them the way Isaias flooded our streets.

Stay safe, y’all. We’ll get through this together.

Source: FOX Weather and USA TODAY