A state of emergency was declared for 19 eastern Florida counties ahead of Hurricane Isaias.
Most of them are along the state's Atlantic coast, but inland counties including Okeechobee, Osceola, Orange, Seminole, Putnam and Clay are also included.
A hurricane warning was issued Friday evening for the counties of Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Brevard. Hurricane watches and tropical storm watches and warnings were in effect for several other coastal areas.
The storm is expected to bring wind, rain and other potential impacts.
"Hurricane Isaias is expected to approach Florida's East Coast from the southeast on Saturday. Residents should finish their preparations by sunrise on Saturday morning, which is when tropical-storm-force winds could arrive in South Florida," weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Belles said Friday evening. "Conditions will gradually deteriorate further north along the East Coast during the day Saturday with increasingly frequent bands of rain, wind and coastal impacts, including storm surge and beach erosion. These conditions could arrive in northeast Florida overnight into Sunday morning."
In a 5 p.m. update on Twitter, the National Weather Service in Melbourne, about an hour east of Orlando, said, "Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion."
(MORE: The Latest Forecast for Tropical Storm Isaias)
Sandbags were being handed out in some counties, but there wasn't a huge rush on gasoline or other supplies.
The Florida Department of Transportation prepared to shut down some bridges if winds get too high.
Florida Gov. Ron Desantis and other officials urged Floridians to remain vigilant.
“It’s a very fluid situation. We hope that it stays off our shores. But we’ve got to be prepared to have impacts in the state of Florida," DeSantis said during a news briefing Friday morning.
The governor said he doesn't foresee widespread evacuations or the need for shelters to be opened.
"Now is the time that you should all be prepared. Even if this is not a huge storm, it can cause damage," Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said during a separate briefing Friday.
Miami-Dade County officials don't plan on opening evacuation shelters, either, but have 20 sites ready to go just in case, according to the Miami Herald.
Beaches, parks, marinas and golf courses operated by the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department will close by 8 p.m. Friday.
Broward County Mayor Dale Holness has said the county could open 34 shelters if Isaias becomes a serious threat, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.
This hurricane season is made all the more difficult because of the coronavirus pandemic, and South Florida has seen a surge in infections in the past few weeks.
Jared Moskowitz, director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, said his department has sent thermometers, masks, sanitizers and gloves for counties to use if they open shelters, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
(MORE: Tropical Storm Isaias Could Be First Test of Florida's Coronavirus Hurricane Plans)
Officials in South Florida said now is the time to buy emergency supplies if people haven't already, and to consider how and where to evacuate if that becomes necessary, while still maintaining social distancing and other protocols to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
"It’s a really strong reminder of how important it is to have your preparations in place," Miguel Hidalgo, an emergency management specialist with Broward County, told weather.com in a phone interview.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties have seen more than 207,00 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and more than 3,000 people have died because of the disease in those three counties, according data tracked by Johns Hopkins University. Overall, Florida has recorded more than 470,000 cases and at least 6,839 deaths.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends that hurricane kits include at two masks for each family member, in addition to 72 hours' worth of food, water, and medication.
State-run COVID-19 testing sites in the affected Florida counties are closing ahead of the storm. The state testing sites are drive-through and walk-up locations set up under tents.
They are expected to be closed until 8 a.m. Wednesday, according to a news release from the FDEM. Local county health departments will continue to offer free COVID-19 testing, the agency said.
President Donald Trump canceled a campaign event scheduled for Saturday in Miami-Dade County.
The U.S. Coast Guard set port conditions to X-ray at Cape Canaveral Friday morning, and said ports in Fernandina and Jacksonville would move to X-ray conditions Friday night. That alert level means sustained tropical force winds of between 39 and 73 mph are expected within 48 hours. Port of Miami and Port Key West were set at condition whiskey, which means winds are expected within 24 hours.
(MORE: In the Era of Coronavirus and Social Distancing, Should You Go to a Hurricane Shelter?)
Earlier, Giménez said he was concerned about keeping distance between people in shelters, not just for Isaias but for any storms this season.
"Look, if we have a major hurricane here then we're going to have to evacuate a number of people and then we're going to have to ... try to keep them separated as much as possible," Giménez told CNN on Thursday. "That's a concern."
"When you're not testing is also a concern," he said. "But the greater danger, the immediate danger has to be taken care of first, and that's getting our people out of harm's way."
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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