As Hurricane Isaias churned toward the Gulf Coast on Thursday, residents of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida took advantage of the calm, gray weather to stock up for their first hurricane of the year.
Landfall could come as soon as Friday, but forecasts have left some room for uncertainty. Isaias intensified quickly on Wednesday, changing from a tropical storm to a hurricane, and it remains unclear what the peak intensity will be. Forecasters said the storm could make landfall anywhere from Biloxi, Miss., to Mobile, Ala., to east of Pensacola, Fla.
While the region has decades of practice in hurricane preparation, this season has been uncommonly quiet. Isaias is expected to not only be the first hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast this year, but also the first to come ashore in the mainland United States since Milton in 2024.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared emergencies in 25 counties. Senator Rick Scott warned residents that Thursday was the day to prepare, urging them to stock up on food and water. Several of the state’s northwestern counties, including Bay, Franklin, Escambia and Okaloosa, issued mandatory evacuations for some of their low-lying areas.
“It’s kind of hard to anticipate it, because it changes every time you look at the projections,” John Donovan, a Pensacola resident, said of the storm. Mr. Donovan, 36, plans to stay in town, he said, though his marine canvas and upholstery business will close on Friday, with hurricane shutters to help keep it intact.
At Emerald Coast Coins, a coin dealer in Pensacola, business slowed to a trickle on Thursday, said Stephanie Dodson, a manager at the shop — though she added that a few people were still stopping by to sell their old coins and precious metals to get some cash before the storm.
The shop would be closed and storm-shuttered by Friday, she said. “I think it’s going to be eventful,” she said of Isaias. “I was here through Hurricane Ivan, so I’m hoping it’s not going to be that bad.”
Ms. Dodson, 49, added that she planned to hunker at home in Milton, Fla., which is farther inland than Pensacola, and that other locals also seemed to be sticking around. “Most people are just battening down the hatches,” she said.
In Mississippi, emergency management officials are urging residents to prepare for heavy rains and flash floods.
In Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey has declared an emergency for 40 counties, covering the entire southern half of the state.
A handful of weekend events — including a beer festival, a shrimp festival and art walk — have been canceled in Mobile, which sits on a bay and is at risk of a storm surge. State and local officials have urged residents to stay off the roads once the storm hits.
In Orange Beach, Ala., a stone’s throw from Florida, the calm winds on Thursday morning gave little indication of the coming storm. But time was of the essence: The city has two major bridges, and both were expected to close at around noon on Friday. Local officials were urging residents to leave.
“You just got to go with the flow,” said Cindy Wall, an employee at Sam’s Stop and Shop, a purveyor of fuel, food and fishing supplies. “That’s all you can do. But don’t ever underestimate the power of Mother Nature.”
Ms. Wall has strong memories of Hurricane Sally, a slow-moving storm that dumped staggering amounts of rain when it hit the Gulf Coast six years ago, prompting hundreds of water rescues. But on Thursday, she was feeling optimistic. “We’re actually doing pretty good,” she said. “We’re one of the few people that still have gas that didn’t run out. And we still have plenty of propane, gas cans and ice.”
Avery Purvis and Reagan Roberts, both Orange Beach residents, stopped by the shop for some ice. “We live in a tiny house, so we’re hoping for the best,” Ms. Purvis said.
While a voluntary evacuation order was in place for the city, Ms. Roberts said that her pets were too important. “I’m staying with the cats,” she said. “I can’t leave them.”
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