Hurricane Isaias barreled through the Emerald Coast last night, taking a path straight through Destin. Though the storm system had completed its path through Okaloosa County by around 10 p.m. on Friday, it will take a village to mitigate the destruction Isaias left behind.
Luckily, the Okaloosa County community jumped into action before the sun came up on Saturday, with residents, emergency personell, linemen and more taking to the streets to asses damage and start recovery efforts.
Here are a few photos captured by staff photographer Casey Drayer this morning as she surveyed the damage around Okaloosa County.
Niceville
Crews were out in Niceville as early as 11 p.m. last night to assess damage and start cleaning up fallen trees and powerlines after Hurricane Isaias. Most roads are clear, with crews still working to regain power for area residents.
Residents work to clear Boxer Avenue after a large tree fell into the road, completely blocking access (Photo by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News). 
Niceville residents help to clear a large tree blocking Pine Lake Drive near 27th Street (Photo by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News). 
A fallen tree crushes power lines, completely blocking 27th Street from Bayshore Drive (Photo by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News).
Freeport
Freeport cleaned up quickly and efficiently, with only the outskirts still surrounded by downed trees and power lines. Flooding occurred in a few areas, but mostly near water sources such as Alaqua Creek and Basin Bayou.
The yard of a Freeport home floods with water from Alaqua Creek (Photo by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News). 
Alaqua Creek overflows into yards, right off of Hwy 20 heading towards Freeport (Photo by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News). 
A helicopter gets a birds-eye view of damage after Hurricane Isaias (Photo by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News). 
Lineworkers address power outages, working on powerlines after the storm (Photo by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News).
Destin
Destin handled the hurricane well. Many homes still lack power, but they do have water. Reportedly, Okaloosa Island has no water at this time. Many areas of Destin were affected, but it seems the neighborhoods on Calhoun Avenue took the worst of the impact, with many having fallen trees, flooding in their yards and downed power lines along the road.
The community in Destin worked together to clear debris from people’s yards, and many emergency tree services and specialized storm-cleanup crews were in the area helping.
A Calhoun Avenue house’s yard floods with stormwater. A ball sits on the steps, just out of the water’s reach (Photo by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News). 
Sibert Avenue completely flooded and closed down to car traffic (Photo by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News). 
The yard of a Calhoun Avenue house completely flooded, though homeowners took precaution and boarded up its windows (Photo by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News). 
Broken limbs and fallen trees surround a Church on Calhoun Avenue (Photo by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News). 
A dog makes the best of the hurricane, playing in a deeply flooded yard (Photo by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News). 
Patrons observe the hurricane damage at the Mattie Kelly Pier, including broken docks (Photo by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News). 
A large tree crushes a fence at Destin Middle School’s athletic track (Photo by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News). 
A fallen tree rests near Calhoun Avenue in Destin (Photo by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News).
DeFuniak Springs
DeFuniak Springs sustained minimal damage, and crews cleared main roads, including Highway 331, early this morning. While most residents have lost power and internet, many remain safe at home. DeFuniak saw little flooding, but fallen trees led to a few road closures in the area.
DeFuniak Springs saw minimal structure damage, but many fallen trees crashed down on powerlines (Photos by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News). 
DeFuniak Springs saw minimal structure damage, but many fallen trees crashed down on powerlines (Photos by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News). 
DeFuniak Springs saw minimal structure damage, but many fallen trees crashed down on powerlines (Photos by Casey Drayer | Mid Bay News).
