 The highest tides , 4 @.@ 4 ft ( 1 @.@ 3 m ) above normal , were reported at Cedar Key , Florida , while the strongest gust recorded , 55 mph ( 89 km / h ) , was measured at Pensacola International Airport . Heavy rainfall from Irene spread across much of the Southern United States , peaking at 10 @.@ 96 inches ( 278 mm ) in Neels Gap , Georgia . In Florida , flooding from rainfall associated with Irene caused damage around the Lake Okeechobee area . Losses in Florida was limited to uncollected crops , mainly peanuts and corn , that were in bales in the process of being dried . Several floods were flooded along the coast at Shalimar near Fort Walton Beach . The winds downed trees and a telephone pole , causing a short power outage in Ocean City . Red tides were ongoing in western Florida ; winds from the storm 's precursor blew thousands of dead fish ashore . Local residents complained that the odor from the rotting fish were unbearable . 
