JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Hurricane Idalia made history Wednesday striking Florida's Big Bend region with unbelievable force as a major hurricane bringing maximum sustained winds of 125 mph to the area for the first time in 125 years.
The storm was downgraded to a tropical storm Wednesday afternoon after battering Florida's Gulf Coast.
While the First Coast did not see the brunt of Idalia's impact, it will take some residents across the area weeks to pick up the pieces left behind by the storm.
First Coast News, On Your Side crews reported from across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia Wednesday as the storm moved quickly through the area.
Here's a look at the first-hand accounts from our crews showing Idalia's aftermath.
Columbia County, Fla.
First Coast News, On Your Side Reporter Jessica Clark was in Lake City, Fla. where a massive tree was uprooted from the ground due to strong wind gusts in the area. Idalia battered the area at one point causing 98% of residents to loose power Wednesday.
Brantley County, Ga.
First Coast News, On Your Side Reporter Taylor Levesque was in Brantley County, Ga. where the roof of Hoboken Elementary School was ripped apart due to strong winds. One Georgia resident said she was "shocked" at the amount of damage southern Georgia experienced from Idalia. The Brantley County School District closed schools Thursday.
Ware County, Ga.
Taylor Levesque was also in Ware County, in the Waycross area where residents lost power early Wednesday due to strong wind.
Glynn County, Ga.
First Coast News, On Your Side Reporter Zach Wilcox was in St. Simons Island where strong winds brought power outages to the area and shut down the Sidney Lanier Bridge Wednesday.
Duval County, Fla.
Arlington
First Coast News, On Your Side Reporter Andrew Badillo was all across Duval County where residents saw wind damage to their properties. One couple in Arlington saw massive damage from a tree that fell on their home as Idalia blew through the area. The homeowners say they've experienced damage like this before, adding that for the last three years, they've had trees or tree limbs fall on their home.
Historic Springfield
Andrew Badillo was also in Historic Springfield where a two-story building collapsed as Idalia swept through the area. Residents told First Coast News the building has been vacant for sometime and no one was inside when it collapsed.
Riverside
Andrew Badillo was in Riverside where storm surges took out massive parts of the recently repaired wall along the St. Johns River in Memorial Park. The walls were struck down back in 2017 after Hurricane Irma blew through the area.
San Marco
First Coast News, On Your Side Reporter Atiya Collins was in the San Marco area where residents saw heavy winds and storm surges from the St. Johns River which caused flooding in some riverfront properties.
