Volusia County Prepares for Hurricane Isaias.

Written by Kristen Schmutz

Belden Communications News

In the wake of Hurricane Isaias’ trek towards Florida, Volusia County officials are diligently preparing for the worst but hoping for the best-case scenario.

As of 5 p.m. today, the local State of Emergency that has been in effect for COVID-19 will be amended to now include Hurricane Isaias. This amendment will be temporary until the next council meeting on Tuesday, August 4, according to Kevin Captain Director of Community Information for the county.

At this time there are multiple sandbag locations open throughout the county, providing sandbags to residents.

Volusia County Emergency Management staff are actively monitoring the storm and will fully staff the Emergency Operations Center in Daytona Beach over the weekend and throughout the storm. According to Jim Judge, Director of Volusia County Emergency Management, Volusia county is in a Hurricane Watch and Tropical Storm Warning. Isaias is anticipated to come up the coast but maintain a 70-80-mile distance from Florida.

Wind surges are expected to begin later in the day Saturday and overnight into Sunday. Between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Sunday is when tropical-storm-force winds are expected.

There is no anticipation of the opening of shelters just yet. “We will pull the trigger on shelter’s if the need arises,” Judge said during a press conference Friday.

Also, due to the anticipated storm conditions, 4 testing sites run by the Florida Department of Health in Volusia County will be closed over the weekend and into Monday and are scheduled to reopen as of Tuesday morning.

County officials want to remind residents that preparedness is key when it comes to hurricanes, and it is important to monitor the track of the storm. For more information regarding the Hurricane and a list of sandbag locations and hours of operation visit www.volusia.org/Isaias.