India, Oct. 10 -- Hurricane Isaias battered Florida's Panhandle on Friday as dangerous surf, hurricane-force winds and heavy rain swept across popular beach communities. These include Pensacola Beach, Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Navarre Beach, Miramar Beach and Scenic Highway 30A.

Videos shared on social media showed towering waves crashing over beaches, strong winds whipping palm trees and areas flooded by storm surge. Local authorities closed beaches, urged residents to stay indoors and warned against entering the Gulf as conditions rapidly deteriorated.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Isaias was a Category 3 major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kmph) during the afternoon as it approached the western...