Florida authorities have confirmed the first known death linked to Hurricane Isaias after a tree crashed through a home in the state, killing a 57-year-old woman as the storm pounded Gulf Coast communities over the weekend.
Jenn Biggs Williams, who worked in human resources, was inside her residence with her husband, Joey Williams, when the tree tore through the roof and into the living room. The couple had stepped outside moments earlier to photograph the turbulent sky and some of the damage the storm had already inflicted. When they returned indoors, the tree struck.
Joey Williams managed to squeeze out from under the debris, but his wife was pinned. “I was able to squeeze out. My wife didn’t make it,” he told NewsNation. “The tree just fell on her and it was … we like to think it was pretty instant, you know? I mean, just gone. Gone.”
After crawling free, Williams called out for his wife but heard nothing. He enlisted a neighbor’s help as the storm continued to generate winds of up to 100 mph. “I’m like, ‘My wife’s trapped under the tree. Please, please,’” he said. “And, I mean, there’s nothing we can do.”
Emergency responders told Williams their ability to reach the scene was severely constrained by the intensifying conditions—a common obstacle during major storms, as detailed in hurricane preparedness guidance that urges residents to prepare for delayed emergency services. By the time crews arrived and cut through the tree to extract her, it was too late. The coroner’s office was summoned.
“They let me say bye to her,” Williams said. “I watched the love of my life for 10 years go into the back of a coroner’s van and head down that road. That’s the hardest thing I ever swallowed in my life.”
Williams remembered his wife as a vibrant presence whom everyone adored. “Everybody loved her, right? Even her co-workers,” he said. “She was the ultra-nice bada– person.” He added, “I just want to hear her voice. I’ve called her phone five times just to tell her … she was my world.”
The storm also claimed a life in Birmingham, Alabama, according to the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency director. The two deaths mark the first confirmed fatalities from Isaias, which lashed Gulf Coast states with heavy rain and powerful winds. The hurricane’s approach had already disrupted political schedules, prompting Trump to cancel a planned appearance at the Alabama-Georgia football game.
As the Gulf Coast begins recovery, the Williams case underscores the lethal danger of falling trees and flying debris during hurricanes—risks that emergency officials repeatedly warn about. For families in the storm’s path, the tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the importance of heeding evacuation orders and preparing for the worst. Joey Williams’s account of watching his wife die has resonated across a region now bracing for the long cleanup ahead.
