BIG BEND AREA & CEDAR KEY, FL (352today.com/AP) — The National Hurricane Center (NHC) says Hurricane Idalia officially made landfall on Wednesday, Aug. 30, at 7:45 a.m. near Keaton Beach in the Big Bend area.

Idalia was a Category 4 hurricane prior to landfall with maximum wind speeds of 130 mph. As it came ashore, the NHC says wind speeds dropped to 125 mph: Category 3 strength. Hurricanes are measured on a scale of one to five, with a Category 5 being the strongest. A Category 3 storm is the first on the scale considered a major hurricane.

Flooding in Cedar Key from Hurricane Idalia on Wednesday, Aug. 30. Courtesy: CKFR
Roads underwater in Cedar Key as of Wednesday morning, Aug. 30. Courtesy: CKFR
Damage from storm surge on Cedar Key on Wednesday, Aug. 30. Courtesy: CKFR
Hurricane Idalia floods homes in the island community of Cedar Key on Wednesday, Aug. 30. Courtesy: CKFR
Flooding from storm surge in Cedar Key on Wednesday, Aug. 30. Courtesy: CKFR
Cedar Key Fire Rescue crews begin to assess damage from Hurricane Idalia’s storm surge on Wednesday, Aug. 30. Courtesy: CKFR

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented event” since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend.

Idalia is unleashing life-threatening storm surges and rainfall all along the Gulf Coast. The NHC says a National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tide gauge at Cedar Key reported a nearly 6′ storm surge so far.  The coastal Levy County community’s nearly 900 residents were under a mandatory evacuation order. More than a dozen state troopers went door-to-door on Tuesday warning residents that storm surge could rise as high as 15′.

During an emergency operations briefing in Tallahassee Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis acknowledged not everyone complied with the warning to leave.

Andy Bair, owner of the Island Hotel on Cedar Key, said he intended to “babysit” his bed-and-breakfast, which predates the Civil War. The building has not flooded in the almost 20 years he has owned it, not even when Hurricane Hermine flooded the city in 2016. “Being a caretaker of the oldest building in Cedar Key, I just feel kind of like I need to be here,” Bair said. “We’ve proven time and again that we’re not going to wash away. We may be a little uncomfortable for a couple of days, but we’ll be OK eventually.”

As the life-threatening impacts began hitting Cedar Key DeSantis cautioned, “Don’t put your life at risk by doing anything dumb at this point. This thing’s powerful. If you’re inside, just hunker down until it gets past you.”

Images of damage are beginning to emerge from the island community known for its funky shops and restaurants which serve steamed clams harvested from the area’s waters. The Cedar Key Fire Rescue Department is posting photos and videos to its Facebook page showing downed trees and flooded streets.