Storm Isaias: Florida braces for hurricane conditions

It is set to brush the state's east coast with strong winds and potential coastal flooding

Donald Bowen (L) and Doug Smith put shutters over the windows of their business as Tropical Storm Isaias approaches on August 01, 2020 in Stuart, Florida. AFP

Isaias, downgraded from a hurricane but still a powerful tropical storm, churned close to Florida on Sunday, set to brush the state's east coast with strong winds, drenching rain and potential coastal flooding.

By 8am (1200 GMT), Tropical Storm Isaias was about 40 miles (70 kilometres) east-southeast of West Palm Beach, heading northwest with top sustained winds of 65 miles per hour (100 kph), the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said.

On its current path, Isaias will move near or along Florida's east coast during Sunday, possibly strengthening, the Miami-based NHC said. On Monday and Tuesday, its centre would move from offshore of the coast of Georgia into the southern mid-Atlantic states.

Florida's central and northern east coast could be hit by a storm surge - when a storm pushes normal tidal levels above normal - of as much as 4 feet (1.22 m), the NHC said.

Isaias was not expected to affect the return home on Sunday of two Nasa astronauts who rode to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX's new Crew Dragon.

They were heading for a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, off Florida's north-west coast, capping a two-month voyage in space that marked Nasa's first crewed mission from home soil in nine years.

Florida is used to being hit by hurricanes, but its well-honed storm responses have been partly upended by its grappling with one of the country's worst coronavirus outbreaks.

Isaias was not expected to affect the return home on Sunday of two Nasa astronauts who rode to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX's new Crew Dragon.

They were heading for a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, off Florida's north-west coast, capping a two-month voyage in space that marked Nasa's first crewed mission from home soil in nine years.

Florida is used to being hit by hurricanes, but its well-honed storm responses have been partly upended by its grappling with one of the country's worst coronavirus outbreaks.

The state has recorded more than 480,000 cases, with tens of thousands recorded in the last week alone, according to a Reuters tally.

The emergency operations centre in Miami was mostly empty on Saturday with plastic dividers set up between work stations and fans with ultraviolet lights hung around the room. Many emergency officials are instead working remotely.

Governor Ron DeSantis said on Saturday the state emergency management division was supplying shelters with enough personal protective equipment for 10,000 people.

Mr DeSantis declared a state of emergency for a dozen counties on the Atlantic coast, which makes it easier to mobilize resources. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper followed suit.

The storm has caused at least two deaths in the Dominican Republic and torn down trees, flooded streets and knocked out power for thousands of homes and businesses in Puerto Rico, according to media reports.

Isaias lashed parts of the Bahamas with what was expected to be as much as 1 foot (30 cm) of rain en route to the United States.