Governors declare emergency as hurricane bears down on Florida

by Marty Johnson - 08/01/20 8:29 AM ET

Emergency declarations have been issued for multiple states as Hurricane Isaias is expected to make landfall along the southeastern coast of Florida later Saturday and into Sunday.

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Friday that the state of emergency extends to all counties in the path of Isaias, including Broward and Miami-Dade, the two most populous counties in the state.

I’ve signed Executive Order 20-181, declaring a state of emergency for counties in the path of Hurricane #Isaias. For those living on the East Coast, prepare now. Have 7 days of food, water, medicine & other supplies in case you lose power. Follow @FLSERT for updates.

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) July 31, 2020

The governor, a key ally of President Trump, also wrote to the president requesting a “pre-landfall emergency declaration” from the federal government.

The White House announced Saturday morning that Trump had approved the request, ordering federal assistance to support the state. The order authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster response efforts in Florida.

The National Hurricane Center has labeled Isaias a Category 1 storm, with maximum sustained winds nears 85 miles per hour. The storm is moving northwest at around 12 miles per hour.

The hurricane center warned that parts of Florida could see storm surge amounting to several feet of water. On Saturday morning, it released guidance on preparing for the storm.

“There is a risk of impacts from winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surge spreading along much of the the U.S. east coast through early next week,” the National Hurricane Center wrote.

#Isaias update thread (1 of 4):
Hurricane conditions are expected along portions of the Florida east coast late Saturday and Saturday night, and a Hurricane Warning has been issued. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion. pic.twitter.com/snLyaH1lnz

— National Weather Service (@NWS) July 31, 2020

Hurricane warnings have been issued from Boca Raton to the Volusia-Brevard county line in Florida, putting West Palm Beach, Jupiter, Vero Beach and Melbourne all under the advisory.

Additionally, a storm surge watch is in effect from Jupiter Inlet to Ponte Vedra Beach.

The storm is currently blasting the Bahamas with heavy winds and large amounts of rainfall.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) also declared states of emergency on Friday. Isaias is expected to reach North Carolina by Monday.

Updated: 11:31 a.m.