BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — One of the spots in Central Florida expected to be hit by Isaias is Brevard County and local leaders are taking preparations for the storm seriously.
What You Need To Know
- Officials have shut down Port Canaveral
- Other locations like Exploration Tower, Jetty Park and Mathers Bridge are closed
- Brevard County opens atorm shelter for residents
- Get more Isaias coverage here
With high winds expected from Isaias, they have shut down Port Canaveral, stopping operations as the county braces for the storm. That closure means no boats can enter or move within the ports without express permission and all ship-to-shore operations must stop.
The sun is coming up over Brevard County Sunday morning. Here at Port Canaveral, operations have stopped ahead of Isaias’s arrival in central Florida, as much of the county prepares for the storm @MyNews13 pic.twitter.com/aXFzeqEZkK
— Rachael Krause (@RKrause_News) August 2, 2020
Nearby, Exploration Tower as well as Jetty Park closed on Saturday, as families staying at the campground were forced to pack up early and head out by noon ahead of the approaching storm.
Isabel Jimenez and her group drove into town on Thursday to get a needed break during the pandemic but with Isaias approaching, they were suddenly forced to cut their vacation short so they could get home before the storm hit.
“We were like, ‘Oh, no, it’s not going to ruin camping, we’re fine.’ And next thing we know, it’s going to hit the county we’re going to be in. So we’re rushing,” Jimenez explained. “We love this campground so we came to visit. We didn’t expect the storm to come so early so it ruined the whole vacation."
The Brevard County Emergency Management team said they will also be locking down Mathers Bridge at 7 a.m. Sunday to vehicle-only traffic to protect the bridge from high winds.
Following the Port Canaveral Shutdown, the U.S. Coast Guard is urging people to stay off the water and off of beaches, and if you have a boat, make sure you secure it down.
As people prepare to see impacts throughout the day, officials want you to make sure you have plenty of food, water and supplies on hand before the storm arrives.
Brevard County Opens Storm Shelter
Meanwhile, Brevard County opened a storm shelter at Viera Regional Community Center at 11 a.m. on Sunday for residents who are “in need of safe harbor from potentially dangerous winds and rain conditions” due to Isaias.
The shelter is located at 2300 Judge Fran Jamieson Way.
The county provided a community information hotline for anyone with questions about the shelter or the approaching storm. People can call 211.