BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — One person was killed when a tree fell on a home in Birmingham’s Huffman neighborhood early Saturday as Hurricane Isaias’ remnants moved through Alabama, bringing rain, gusty winds and reports of downed trees and power lines.
Birmingham Fire and Rescue personnel responded to 1320 Monterey Drive about 5:20 a.m. after receiving a report that a tree had fallen on the house with people trapped inside.
Jim Coker, director of the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the death to the station. The report, updated at 7:26 a.m. Saturday, did not identify the person who died or provide further details about the circumstances.
Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, Friday night with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph before weakening as it moved inland, according to the National Weather Service. By early Saturday, the storm had lost its tropical characteristics and was classified as a post-tropical cyclone.
At 4 a.m. CDT, the storm’s center was about 105 miles south of Birmingham and 25 miles south-southwest of Montgomery, according to the National Hurricane Center. Maximum sustained winds had decreased to 35 mph, and the system was moving north at 14 mph.
Forecasters expected Isaias to continue across Alabama and into the Tennessee Valley Saturday and Sunday, with further weakening before dissipating Sunday.
Elsewhere in Birmingham, a tree fell on a home along 19th Avenue South about 1 a.m. Saturday, ABC 33/40 reported. The extent of the damage and whether anyone was injured had not been confirmed in the station’s morning update.
The station also reported blocked roads involving power lines on Marsh Mountain Road in Pinson and Shades Crest Road in Hoover. Additional reports of trees and power lines obstructing roads came from several central Alabama counties.
Although tropical storm warnings were discontinued early Saturday, the National Weather Service in Birmingham said flash flooding remained a concern across central Alabama. Heavy rain and gusty winds were expected to remain possible through the afternoon.