Virus complicates storm prep in Fla.
Isaias expected to regain hurricane strength by Sunday
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Isaias snapped trees and knocked out power as it blew through the Bahamas on Saturday and weakened to a tropical storm as it churned toward the Florida coast, where it still threatened to complicate efforts to contain the coronavirus in a hot spot.
The storm, which is expected to regain hurricane strength as it nears Florida, is piling another burden on communities hard-hit by other storms and sickness.
Florida authorities closed beaches, parks and virus testing sites. Though officials do not expect to have to evacuate people, they wrestled with how to prepare shelters where people can seek refuge from the storm if necessary, while safely social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus.
“The most important thing we want people to do now is remain vigilant,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph at 5 p.m. EDT Saturday, a decline from earlier in the day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It is expected to regain strength as it heads over warm water toward Florida.
The center of the storm is forecast to approach the southeast coast of Florida early Sunday and then travel along the state’s east coast throughout the day.
Isaias has already been destructive in the Caribbean: On Thursday, while still a tropical storm, it uprooted trees, destroyed crops and homes and caused widespread flooding and small landslides in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. One man died in the Dominican Republic. In Puerto Rico, the National Guard rescued at least 35 people from floodwaters that swept away one woman, whose body was recovered Saturday.
Concerns about the coronavirus and the vulnerability of people who are still recovering from Hurricane Dorian nearly a year ago were adding to worries about the Category 1 storm.
Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert
Minnis relaxed a coronavirus lockdown as a result of the storm, but imposed a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. He said supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations and hardware stores would be open as long as weather permitted.
“The center of COVID-19 now is in Grand Bahama,” the island’s minister, Sen. Kwasi Thompson, told government-run ZNS Bahamas. “No one wanted to see a situation where we are now facing a hurricane.”
The Bahamas has reported 574 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 14 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. It recently barred travelers from the U.S. following a surge in cases after it reopened to international tourism.
As the storm moves toward the southeast coast of Florida, a hurricane warning is in effect from Boca Raton to the VolusiaFlagler county line, about 150 miles north. A hurricane watch was in effect from Hallandale Beach to south of Boca Raton. A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the area, and a watch means they are possible.
Florida has been a coronavirus hot spot in the United States in recent weeks, and the added menace of a storm ratcheted up the anxiety there as well. Staterun virus testing sites are closing in areas where the storm might hit because the sites are outdoor tents, which could topple in high winds.
Natalie Betancur, stocking up at a grocery in Palm Beach Gardens to ride out the storm, said the storm doesn’t cause her a great amount of concern.
“The hurricane is not that serious, but I feel that the public is really panicking because it’s a hurricane and we’re in the middle of a pandemic,” she said.
Gov. DeSantis said Saturday that 12 counties have adopted states of emergency, although no immediate evacuation orders have been given. He also said hospitals are not being evacuated of coronavirus or other patients.
The Republican told a morning news conference that the state is prepared with stockpiles of personal protective equipment, generators, bottled water and meals ready to be distributed.
The pandemic forced officials to wrestle with social-distancing rules at the same time as disaster response.
At one of four shelters in Palm Beach County on Saturday afternoon, people had their temperatures checked at the door before entering. Public buses are transporting residents to the shelter as crews work to sanitize the buses between stops.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said each person in a shelter needed to have 40 square feet, and cafeteria-style dining would not be allowed. Any evacuees infected with the coronavirus would be isolated in classrooms separate them from the general population, he said.
Kevin Shelton, the owner of Causeway Mowers in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida, said his store has been packed since Friday. Folks streamed in to buy generators, chainsaws and other provisions. On Saturday morning, Shelton and his wife served at least 25 customers an hour, double the business they’d normally do on a weekend.
“We keep an eye on every storm,” he said. “It could shift in this direction at any moment.”