It was a busy morning for Pensacola residents and visitors as they filled up their tanks and bought what they consider last-minute essentials as Hurricane Isaias nears landfall. NBC6’s Guamay Martell reports
One of the biggest concerns is a storm surge that could be as high as 6 to 9 feet, according to the hurricane center. Places most at risk include Florida’s Pensacola Beach and the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Anne Petzold, who lives with her husband in Gulf Breeze, said everyone in their neighborhood planned to ride out the storm. The couple installed hurricane shutters and picked up anything in their yard that could turn into a projectile.
“Everybody does what they can do, everybody asks if they need help — they ask for help, they offer help. All good,” she said. “It’s just another adventure.”
In a sign of how serious the warnings are, dozens of Waffle Houses in the Florida Panhandle were closed, according to the company’s website. The beloved Southern breakfast chain is known for staying open through severe weather and often is a measuring stick of a storm’s severity.
Kelsei Frazier, a Florida native living in Pace who is no stranger to hurricanes, knows all about the Waffle House Index.
“We joke because if Waffle House is still open, then you know it’s not a bad hurricane, but all the Waffle Houses that I know of within at least a normal range from us are closed,” said Frazier. “Which is a pretty big deal.”