Testing back on track: Florida reports 30K COVID-19 cases this week
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. As testing ramped up following a temporary shutdown of some sites because of Tropical Storm Isaias, coronavirus case numbers crept up again in Florida this week. With 7,650 new confirmed cases reported Thursday by the state health department, Floridas total for the week (Sunday-Thursday) is now over 30,000 cases. Thursday marked the 12th day in a row that fewer than 10,000 newly recorded cases were reported in Florida. Florida reported 120 new deaths Thursday, bringing its seven-day average of daily reported deaths to 166, behind Texas with 197. Daily COVID-19 cases reported in Florida, JacksonvilleGov.
Florida tops 500K virus cases as testing resumes after storm
A healthcare worker performs an antigen test, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020, at a COVID-19 testing site outside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. State officials say Florida has surpassed 500,000 coronavirus cases. Antigen testing reveals whether a person is currently infected with COVID-19. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Florida surpassed 500,000 coronavirus cases Wednesday as testing ramped up following a temporary shutdown of some sites because of Tropical Storm Isaias, state officials said. A long line of cars waited outside Hark Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Wednesday morning for a coronavirus testing site to reopen after being closed because of the storm. The Hard Rock site, which is now offering antigen testing, briefly shut down Wednesday because of lightning in the area.
Isaias, again a tropical storm, spawns wild inland weather
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. Tropical Storm Isaias brought dangerous winds and heavy rain over eastern Virginia early Tuesday after making landfall as a hurricane near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. A tropical storm warning extended all the way up to Maine, where flash flooding was possible in some areas on Wednesday. Isaias (pronounced ees-ah-EE-ahs) was upgraded again from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane Monday evening. Early Tuesday the storm, downgraded again, was centered about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Greenville, North Carolina. Whether its labeled a tropical storm or a hurricane, you should take this storm seriously, and make sure your family is ready, Cooper said.
Flagler Beach Pier, rebuilt A1A weather Tropical Storm Isaias with little damage
Flagler Beach Pier, rebuilt A1A weather Tropical Storm Isaias with little damagePublished: August 3, 2020, 4:15 pmVIDEO: The Flagler Beach Pier and State Road A1A survived their first tests of whatโs expected to be a busy hurricane season.
Isaias passes offshore of US, coastal showers push onshore
Tropical Storm Isaias churns past us today, well offshore from our coastline, making for minimal impacts on our area. Expect coastal clouds and few rounds of coastal showers, resulting in around an inch of rain. The brief downpours persist through the afternoon hours. There is a chance that after Isaias has passed by, during the evening hours we will see a few late in the evening or night storms develop. Expect widespread afternoon showers and thunderstorms to fire up and push across our area, lingering into the evening hours along the coastline.
Tropical Storm Isaiasโ worst weather stays away from Jacksonville
As of 11 a.m., Tropical Storm Isaiah was about 90 miles east-southeast of Brunswick, moving north at 13 mph with 70 mph winds. Tropical storm warnings remain in effect for numerous coastal counties in the area, including Camden, Duval, Flagler, Glynn, Nassau and St. Johns, although the tropical storm warning remains in effect for St. Johns and Flagler counties, the storm surge watch has been discontinued. A tropical storm warning still covers most of the east coast of Florida and Georgiaโs east coast, and up to 3โณ inch of coastal rain is possible. The Hurricane Warning along the east-central coast of Florida has been replaced with a Tropical Storm Warning. Unlike the hurricanes we have seen, Tropical Storm Isaias will bring in bands of rains followed by sunshine and then more bands of rains through noon Monday.
Flagler Beach Pier, rebuilt A1A weather Tropical Storm Isaias with little damage
FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. โ The Flagler Beach Pier and State Road A1A survived their first tests of whatโs expected to be a busy hurricane season. Tropical Storm Isaias scraped along the Florida coastline Sunday and Monday, providing Flagler County a glimpse of whatโs likely to come. Crucial months for hurricane season,โ said Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney. โSo for the staff here, the City of Flagler Beach, itโs a good kind of dry run for us. In 2016, the Flagler Beach Pier was pummeled by Hurricane Matthew and lost more than 150 feet.
How will Isaias impact Jacksonville area?
Plus, Tropical Storm Isaias taking a track well to the east of Jacksonville, our impacts will remain minimal. Yet, Isaias will impact our Southern coastal counties and along the St. Johns River in Clay and Putnam counties the most. The nearest approach will be about 100 miles off area beaches and will be there around 8-10 am. If there is to be some impact, it will be between 6 a.m. until noon. Maximum beach winds from Jacksonville beach northward will remain just barely at tropical storm force -- 40 mph.
Beachgoers warned of dangerous conditions as Isaias passes Jacksonville
JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. โ Jacksonville Beach saw wind and strong surf as Tropical Storm Isaias moved past on Monday. Despite the high risk of rip currents, choppy water and high surf, people still came out to Jacksonville Beach. All weekend and into Monday, red flags flew Jacksonvilleโs beaches, warning swimmers of high surf and dangerous rip currents. Outside of dangerous water conditions, Jacksonville Beach remained relatively calm as Tropical Storm Isaias made its way up Floridaโs east coast. Jacksonville Beach had electrical crews are on standby in case of power outages.
Isaias path spares low-lying St. Augustine neighborhoods from major flooding
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. In low-lying areas in St. Johns County, the track of Tropical Storm Isaias couldnt have gone any better. But this has St. Johns County residents, who are already well accustomed to severe weather, preparing in case more storms pop up in the Atlantic this hurricane season. Hurricane Dorian in 2019 grazed St. Augustine but didnt leave nearly the amount of flooding damage as Matthew and Irma did. High winds at St. Augustine Beach made for a choppy surf and double flags warned people to stay out of the water, as swimming is prohibited at St. Johns County beaches until Tuesday at dawn. But families still visited St. Augustine Beach and its pier on Monday.
Camden County schools to begin with COVID-19 safety measures in place
CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. Tuesday will be the first day of school in Camden County. News4Jax found parents and students are split on whether reopening Tuesday in Camden County is the best idea. Camden County resident Alyssa Fraser said: I think itd (be) better to keep kids in school. Were excited to start back and have some normalcy.The school district told News4Jax masks are not mandated but strongly encouraged and incentivized. On Monday, the Georgia Department of Public Health reported 19 new COVID-19 cases in Camden County.
Officials: No evacuations or shelters in Flagler County
FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. โ Flagler County officials decided midday Sunday that the potential limited evacuations and the opening of an emergency shelter are unnecessary given the change of track and intensity of Tropical Storm Isaias, but emergency staff is ready should weather conditions change again. โI want to be prepared because it can be awful if youโre not prepared,โ said Leila Manning, a Flagler County resident. โIf those dunes donโt hold, the Atlantic Ocean will come right back down our street,โ Flagler County resident Laura Cohill said. Currently, the cityโs emergency management team is watching conditions closely, along with the Flagler County emergency management team. Stay tuned to Flagler County Emergency Management for information on shelters for the storm season.
JEA ready to respond to possible outages
Currently, all areas of JEA are prepared to respond to utility service outages should they occur, no matter how the stormโs forecast track may change. JEA anticipates that portions of its service area, especially coastal communities, may experience scattered outages. Text โREGโ to MyJEA (69532) to register for the service using the mobile phone number associated with the JEA account. JEA crews will continue to employ COVID-19 safety measures while working in the field, including wearing masks, social distancing and limiting numbers of workers in spaces. Customers may experience slightly longer-than-normal restoration times as JEA crews apply this extra layer of safety to their work.
Duval County student activities, school meal service canceled Monday due to Isaias
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Duval County Public Schools has canceled all student activities and school meal service Monday because of Tropical Storm Isaias. Due to possible severe weather forecasted for Duval County on Monday morning, all student activities are cancelled for Monday. pic.twitter.com/bZ44qzMo92 โ DCPS (@DuvalSchools) August 2, 2020DCPS also announced it has canceled school meal service Monday because โpossible severe weather is expected during the time food service staff would be out preparing meals.โUPDATE - School meal service also canceled as a precaution due to possible severe weather. Please continue to check https://t.co/tZiqyRR0sO under "Team Duval News" for updates. โ DCPS (@DuvalSchools) August 2, 2020DCPS said any updates will be shared under the โTeam Duval Newsโ section at www.duvalschools.org.
A weakened Tropical Storm Isaias lashes virus-hit Florida
Beach goers watch waves churned up by Tropical Storm Isaias near Jaycee Beach Park, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020, in Vero Beach, Fla. Isaias weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm late Saturday afternoon, but was still expected to bring heavy rain and flooding as it barrels toward Florida. Isaias was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm Saturday afternoon, but was still expected to bring heavy rain and flooding as it crawled just off Florida's Atlantic coast. In Indian River County, north of West Palm Beach, Florida, emergency shelters were clearing out Sunday after Isaias was downgraded to a tropical storm. A tropical storm warning was in effect from Hallandale Beach, Florida, to South Santee River, South Carolina, and for Florida's Lake Okeechobee. Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg, Cody Jackson in Palm Beach County, Florida, and Julie Walker in New York contributed.
Aircraft depart NAS Jacksonville ahead of Isaias
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Naval Air Station Jacksonville is preparing for possible severe weather from Tropical Storm Isaias. The aircrew and maintenance sailors assigned to the P-8A Poseidon and P-3C Orion squadrons worked through the night and into the morning to evacuate the aircraft to predetermined locations ahead of Isaias, NAS Jacksonville said Sunday. Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic authorized the evacuation of 31 P-8A Poseidon aircraft and five P-3C Orion aircraft from NAS Jacksonville, with remaining aircraft assigned to Commander, Patrol & Reconnaissance Wing (CPRW) 11 and Patrol Squadron 30 to remain safely in their squadron hangars. Squadrons assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing Atlantic will remain in hangars aboard Naval Station Mayport and NAS Jacksonville. The aircrew and maintenance Sailors assigned to our P-8A Poseidon and P-3C Orion squadrons worked through the night and... Posted by NAS Jacksonville on Sunday, August 2, 2020NAS Jacksonville preparingThe NAS Jacksonville commanding officer is minimizing command operations and the footprint on base Monday to minimum personnel only.
St. Johns County Emergency Management keeping a close eye on flood-prone areas
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. โ Leaders in St. Johns County are keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Isaias and what the potential rainmaker will mean for flood-prone areas. News4Jax was told the biggest difference in St. Johns County Emergency Management operations ahead of the storm is following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. St. Johns County Emergency Management Interim Director Joe Giammanco said, when it comes to flooding, they are in a slightly better position ahead of the storm because of current weather conditions. Similar actions are being taken at the St. Johns County Emergency Operations Center, with social distancing and limiting staff when possible. Emergency Management hopes, within the next 24 hours, it will have a better picture of whatโs going on and what resources will have to be deployed.
Florida governor warns stormโs path uncertain
Ron DeSantis on Thursday advised Floridians against letting down their collective guard as the forecast โconeโ shifted to the east overnight for Tropical Storm Isaias. โIf you read the morningโs advisory from the National Hurricane Center, basically it said, โLook, weโre going to need a little bit more time before we really get that track,โโ DeSantis said during an appearance at Space Florida headquarters in Merritt Island. But it acknowledged the growing storm system was sending some mixed signals. โWe should have a better idea of how strong Isaias will become near the U.S. after reconnaissance aircraft sample the storm and after it passes Hispaniola later today.โIsaias formed south of Puerto Rico on Wednesday. The hurricane centerโs advisory forecast the systemโs path running along Floridaโs East Coast on Saturday and Sunday.
Clay County officials view storm shelters as a last resort
GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. Clay County emergency management officials are watching to see if shelters will need to be opened this weekend. If the shelters open, Director of Emergency Management John Ward said they will be a group setting and they should be a last resort. Regardless of the impacts from Isaias, Clay County emergency management officials have been preparing for the Atlantic hurricane season for months. For general population shelters, distance has increased from 20 square feet apart now to 120 square feet. Shelters for those with special needs have increased from 60 square feet apart to 160 square feet.
Partly cloudy & hot today with later afternoon storms
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Today expect more sunshine, warming us up into the low 90s, feeling more like 102 when you consider the humidity. We expect scattered storms to fire up after 4p.m, mainly to the north of I-10. Expect partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 90s. Tuesday we will be back to business as usual, with partly cloudy skies, hot afternoon temperatures in the mid to low 90s, with good chances to see afternoon showers and thunderstorms. The storm is currently bringing rain and wind to Puerto Rico before moving towards the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Mayor says Jacksonville is prepared to face Tropical Storm Isaias
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. With Tropical Storm Isaias predicted to bring high winds and rain to greater Jacksonville by Sunday, Mayor Lenny Curry and the citys Emergency Operations Center director discussed plans Thursday for city preparations and public safety, including how evacuations would be handled during the pandemic. We have a great plan and ready to implement that if we need to, Emergency Operations Director Steve Woodard said. Woodard added that if the storm keeps to the track the National Hurricane Center is predicting, he does not see evacuations being required for Isaias. This has been a long road, folks -- a long, long few months going back to March with COVID-19 (and) thats still with us and now hurricane season. He said they are a key part of the citys emergency plan for storms while theyre already dealing with the pandemic.
DeSantis warns of impact from Isaias
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. With Tropical Storm Isaias expected to reach hurricane strength, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday warned of impacts to Florida this weekend even if the growing system remains offshore. The system was bringing heavy rains and maximum sustained winds near 60 mph to Hispaniola on Thursday. Isaias is the earliest storm to begin with an I on record, besting Hurricane Irene which formed August 7, 2005. The 2005 season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season on record.