TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged residents in the Panhandle to heed evacuation orders and prepare for power outages and flooding as Hurricane Isaias strengthened Thursday and headed toward the northern Gulf Coast.
The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph Thursday afternoon, with more strengthening expected through early Friday. It is expected to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday.
DeSantis said Florida is preparing for Isaias to strengthen into potentially a lower-end Category 3, even as forecasters expected wind shear could weaken the storm. Isaias is forecast to bring impacts across the Panhandle, including storm surge, heavy rain and possible tornadoes.
DeSantis urged residents to assume they could lose power and to stock up on water, gasoline and nonperishable food. He warned that already saturated ground could raise the risk of flooding inland as well as along the coast.
Bay, Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, Franklin and Gulf counties had issued evacuation orders, generally for Zones A and B, barrier islands and other low-lying areas. DeSantis said evacuees did not need to travel hundreds of miles, but should follow local officials’ instructions and move to a safe shelter.
The state was preparing more than 1,000 generators, 500,000 gallons of gasoline, 1 million gallons of diesel, more than 3 million meals-ready-to-eat and 1.1 million bottles of water, DeSantis said. More than 6,000 utility workers were on standby to help restore power.
The Florida Department of Transportation had nearly 260 pieces of heavy equipment and 100 pumps ready for deployment, DeSantis said. Tolls were being waived on the Garcon Point Bridge in Santa Rosa County and the Spence Parkway and Mid-Bay Bridge in Okaloosa County.
DeSantis also warned residents to operate generators outdoors and away from homes because they can produce deadly carbon monoxide.
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