Boarded windows and evacuations as major hurricane nears US Gulf Coast
USO•Residents in Florida and Alabama prepared for Hurricane Isaias, a Category 3 storm with 115 mph winds, as tens of thousands faced mandatory evacuation orders. The storm was expected to make landfall Friday evening, with storm surge of up to 9 feet forecast near the Alabama-Florida border.
1. Evacuations and landfall
Residents of coastal towns in Florida and Alabama boarded windows and filled sandbags as Hurricane Isaias approached with life-threatening storm surge and 115 mph winds. Tens of thousands in Florida’s Panhandle and Alabama’s Gulf Coast faced mandatory evacuation orders, and the storm was expected to make landfall between Mobile, Alabama, and Grayton Beach, Florida, on Friday evening.
2. Storm impacts forecast
Storm surge of up to 9 feet was forecast around the Alabama-Florida border, while localized areas of the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend could receive up to 15 inches of rain. Hurricane-force winds were expected as far as 100 miles inland in southern Alabama, with possible tornadoes; 2 to 5 inches of rain were expected across parts of the Southeast.
3. Offshore operations
Oil companies evacuated personnel from 129 Gulf of Mexico oil and gas production platforms, representing 35% of the 371 staffed platforms. President Donald Trump canceled a planned Saturday trip to Alabama for the Georgia-Alabama football game, which was set to be played in Tuscaloosa.
