Winds and rains from Tropical Storm Isaias whipped Florida’s East Coast on Sunday, but damage appeared to be minimal.
About 2,500 homes and businesses had lost power as of 8 a.m., according to power outage.us.
Isaias had been expected to regain strength after hitting the Bahamas on Saturday, but dry air and wind shear prevented that restrengthening.
(MORE: The Latest Forecast for Isaias)
Shelters opened along the Atlantic Coast but few people went to them, and widespread evacuations were never ordered.
"In the era of COVID, I think our guidance from the state has been, look, if it’s a close call, err on the side of people just hunkering down," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday afternoon. "But obviously there does come a point, if you’re in an area and the storm is threatening and that decision is made, we ask you to follow it.”
Florida Power and Light had 10,000 personnel standing by in case of power outages, FPL external affairs manager Sophia Eccleston said during a briefing. Some came from other utility companies as far away as Texas.
NASA said the return of Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, two astronauts aboard who flew a SpaceX capsule to the International Space Station, is still a go for Sunday afternoon. The splashdown, the first in 45 years, is planned for the Gulf of Mexico just off the Florida Panhandle.
Naval Air Station Jacksonville planned to evacuate 31 P-8A Poseidon aircraft and five P-3C Orion aircraft on Sunday because of Tropical Storm Isaias, WJAX reported.
“The remaining aircraft assigned to Commander, Patrol & Reconnaissance Wing (CPRW) 11 and Patrol Squadron 30 will remain safely in their respective squadron hangars, which are rated for a Category 2 hurricane,” the base said in a statement.
On Jacksonville Beach, lifeguards rescued five people from rip currents and rough surf on Saturday, WJAX reported. Red flags were flying, which meant people could swim but they needed to be aware of the potentially dangerous strong surf and currents.
Swimming was banned Sunday at all St. Johns County beaches, including Fort Matanzas National Monument beaches, the St. Augustine Beach Police Department announced. Isaias was expected to produce potentially dangerous rip currents and extremely high tides.
St. Johns County also declared a local emergency and made sandbags available to residents.
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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