Counties prepare for possible impacts from Isaias

HARRISON COUNTY, Miss. (WXXV)-Coastal communities continue to ramp up preparations ahead of Isaias.

Harrison County leaders met Wednesday to discuss their emergency response plan.

As Isaias continues to develop, local emergency officials are keeping a close eye on the storm’s latest track and strength.

Harrison County EMA held its first meeting Wednesday afternoon at the Harrison County Gulfport Courthouse.

The meeting focused on the storm and initial preparations along the Coast. Harrison County EMA Director Matt Stratton said, “A serious situation that we don’t want to let our guard down on and make sure that people understand that with a hurricane watch and storm surge watch, it’s time to prepare now.”

For residents who want to get a head start on preparing, all self-serve sandbag locations in Harrison County are open.

Those locations will remain open through the weekend.

The county says more than 100,000 sandbags are ready to help residents protect their homes and property. Harrison County Public Information Officer Jeff Clark said, “The main thing that people need to know right now is that we’re two days from a storm. Today and tomorrow, these are the days to go and secure your swing sets, clean up your yards, get debris out of your yards, to make sure you got water, make sure you got batteries because Friday weather conditions could deteriorate rapidly. So, you don’t want to be out doing those things during the storm.”

Officials will continue to monitor the storm. We will keep you updated on the latest details.