Ghiorse on Hurricane Isaias: "It's a Wait and See But Also Be Prepared"

Ghiorse on Hurricane Isaias: "It's a Wait and See But Also Be Prepared"

With Hurricane Isaias expected to hit southern Florida, the trajectory of the storm could put Rhode Island in its sights later in the week.

John Ghiorse says, "Rather small, minimal Hurricane Isaias continues on a beeline for the Florida east coast, due to arrive there and skirt the Florida east coast beaches tomorrow."

"The current Hurricane Center forecast of the storm is for it to pick up forward speed and zip up the East Coast passing near or through the Carolinas and arriving near if not over Southern New England late Tuesday. Isaias is a minimal hurricane at best right now and is expected to lose intensity as it moves northward over the next few days

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If that track and intensity projection holds, we should see some heavy rain and tropical-storm-force winds (at least 39mph) later Tuesday or Tuesday night," says Ghiorse.

"A slight deviation in the track, east or west, will make a big difference in any rainfall, surges and wind intensity," he adds.

"So, for us, at this point, it's a wait and see but also be prepared. It is still a few days away and, as we New Englanders know, the ball game can and probably will change," adds Ghiorse.

President Donald Trump has signed a federal disaster declaration for Florida. 

The White House statement reads:

Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that an emergency exists in the State of Florida and ordered Federal assistance to supplement the State’s response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Isaias beginning on July 31, 2020, and continuing.

The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Brevard, Broward, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Indian River, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Putnam, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, and Volusia.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.  Emergency protective measures, limited to direct Federal assistance and reimbursement for mass care including evacuation and shelter support will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.

 

Accuweather says, “Isaias ramped up to an 80-mph Category 1 hurricane during Thursday night, shortly after pulling away from Hispaniola and will now churn through the Bahamas, just north of Cuba, before making a run along the Eastern seaboard of the United States this weekend to early next week.

"As a tropical storm, Isaias lashed Puerto Rico with 60-mph winds and heavy rains and made landfall in the Dominican Republic Thursday afternoon. The storm brought impacts to Haiti, the Dominican Republic's neighbor on the island of Hispaniola, also as it pushed northwest over the Caribbean," according to Accuweather.