Residents along the Gulf Coast are preparing for Hurricane Isaias, with potential winds of 115 mph and storm surges of up to 7 feet.
In Alabama, residents are stocking up on fuel and water as they prepare.
“Everybody’s getting fuel. Everybody’s buying water. Everybody’s scurrying around like ants,” said Alabama resident Richard Weekley.
In Mississippi, residents of Harrison County are filling sandbags ahead of what forecasters say could be a major storm.
“It looks like it’s going to be a big, big water storm, namely from storm surge and heavy rains,” said Jamie Rhome of the National Hurricane Center. “And when those two coexist, we’re going to get potential for big time flooding.”
With winds already topping 100 mph, residents along the coast are filling up at gas stations and preparing to evacuate, while others are hunkering down to ride out the storm.
Alabama resident Damien Gamble said he is preparing his home and generator for the storm.
“It’s just something we have to be prepared for these storms. So I got to fill my generator, make sure everything in the house is taken care of. Fill up some gas containers. It’s what we gotta do. It’s a normal thing,” Gamble said.
Isaias, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, is already prompting airport and school closures as emergency personnel brace for impact.
In Florida, the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue team is preparing to respond, and the National Guard has been activated.
Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for more than 25 counties.
“We have people staged for search and rescue. The utilities are on their high alert to be able to do rapid power restoration,” DeSantis said.
Officials are preparing for what could be a long recovery.
“The problem is we had so much rain last weekend and we’re going to be inundated again with rain this weekend, so it’s not going to take a whole lot of wind to cause some damage,” said Travis Tompkins, Escambia County emergency manager.
As preparations continue, CBN’s Operation Blessing is getting ready to deliver hot meals and essential relief supplies to those in need after the storm.
