After a weekend of storm preparation with utility crews being staged and shelters being opened in Florida, Tropical Storm Isaias is on track to impact the Carolinas, with storm warnings being extended as far north as Delaware early Monday morning.
While Florida did not bare the brunt of the storm -- it was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm as it glided off the eastern coast -- many counties and cities in the Sunshine state prepared to face a possible storm during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now coastal communities in the Carolinas could be in the track of the storm, with life threatening storm surge of 2 to 4 feet above ground level possible from Edisto Beach, South Carolina to Cape Fear, North Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Evacuations ordered for coastal communities
Isaias is expected to be "near hurricane strength when it reaches the Carolinas" late Monday, the latest alert from the National Hurricane Center said, noting that "there is little difference between a strong tropical storm or a category 1 hurricane, in terms of impacts."
The Outer Banks communities of Ocracoke Island, which took a direct hit from Hurricane Florence in 2018, and Hatteras Island issued mandatory evacuations on Friday for all visitors and residents ahead of the anticipated storm that could bring flooding to waterfront and adjacent properties, making roadways in the area unpassable.