Officials urge Vigilance ahead of Hurricane Isaias 

Governor Brian P. Kemp, Insurance Commissioner John King, and Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency Director Homer Bryson are reminding Georgians to remain vigilant and follow best practices as Hurricane Isaias approaches the state’s coastal region over the next few days.  According to national weather officials, Isaias is currently a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour. It is still expected to remain off the eastern coast of Florida this weekend before turning north to northeastward and paralleling the Georgia coast on Monday. Right now, the probability of coastal Georgia experiencing anything more than minor impacts continues to be low, although any significant westward shift in the track forecast would increase those chances. Trends in the forecast track should continue to be monitored, but confidence in the forecast is increasing.  Some strengthening is possible today and tonight, and Isaias is expected to remain a hurricane for the next few days. Tropical Storm Warnings and a Hurricane Watch have been issued for portions of Southeast Florida. A Tropical Storm Watch will likely be issued for coastal Georgia this weekend, and potentially a Hurricane Watch. However, with tropical storm wind probabilities currently at 10% to 20% for the Georgia coast, a Tropical Storm Warning appears unlikely for Georgia at the moment. Those probabilities will likely increase as the storm approaches, but tropical storm conditions are not currently forecast along the Georgia coast.  Impacts along the immediate Georgia coast on Sunday and Monday include dangerous and life-threatening rip currents and marine conditions, sustained winds up to 25 miles per hour with gusts up to 25 miles per hour, and up to two inches of rainfall.