Hurricane Isaias closes in as Florida braces for IMPACT

. BACK TO YOU, MARTHA. >> Martha: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DESTIN, PENSACOLA, DIRECTLY IN. ITS PATH. I KNOW YOU ARE VERY BUSY TRYING. TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THE IMPACT. OF THIS WILL COME. WHAT ARE YOU READY FOR THERE? >> YES, MARTHA, THANK YOU FOR. HAVING ME. OBVIOUSLY, ACTUALLY, AS I'VE. BEEN SITTING HERE RIGHT NOW IN. DOWNTOWN PENSACOLA, IT'S.

DETERIORATING PRETTY QUICKLY, AT. ALMOST 3:00 CENTRAL WITHOUT. LANDFALL REALLY FOR SEVERAL MORE. HOURS. BUT I WOULD SAY FORTUNATELY, IN. DOWNTOWN, IT'S PRETTY QUIET. WHICH IS WHAT WE WANTED. YOU HEARD SENATOR SCOTT, OBVIOUSLY, SENATOR MOODY AND. GOVERNOR DeSANTIS WERE HERE THIS. MORNING TALKING ABOUT THE SAME. THING, WHICH IS TO HEED THESE. WARNINGS. SO I CAN CERTAINLY SAY AS MAYOR. I'M ENCOURAGED. DOWNTOWNWN IS SLOW. THERE IS NOT A LOT OF UP. OFFICIAL TRAFFIC ON THE ROADS, AND I THINK AFTER HURRICANE.

SALLY FROM 2020 WHERE WE SAW A. LATE PIVOT THAT REALLY CAUGHT. PENSACOLA BY SURPRISE, WE'RE. USED TO THESE THINGS. IT DID CATCH US BY SURPRISE. THIS ONE, WITH 2020 IN THE FRONT. OF OUR MINDS, I THINK PEOPLE ARE. HEEDING THE WARNINGS AND WE'RE. HAPPY TO SEE THAT. >> Martha: WHAT'S YOUR SENSE OF. HOW MUCH OF THE TOWN HAS. EVACUATED AND MOVED AWAY FROM. THE AREA? >> YES, OBVIOUSLY THERE IS A LOT. TO FOCUS ON, ON THE BARRIER. ISLAND. ZONE A AND B EVACUATIONS STARTED.

YESTERDAY. THE SHELTER OPENED AT THE ARENA. DOWN YESTERDAY AS WELL. SO THERE IS A LOT OF FOCUS THERE. OBVIOUSLY, BECAUSE IT'S A. BARRIER ISLAND AND BECAUSE IT. WILL SEE THE LARGEST SURGE. AS A MATTER OF FACT, AS WE'VE. BEEN SITTING HERE IN THE LAST 30. MINUTES, THE THREE-MILE BRIDGE. HAS CLOSED. THAT'S FROM PENSACOLA PROPER. OVER TO GULF BREEZE, AND THEN. THERE IS A SECOND BRIDGE TO THE. BEACH, AND THAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU. HAVE SUSTAINED WINDS OF 39 MILES. OR MORE FOR TROPICAL STORM WINDS. THAT CLOSED AT 2:25 CENTRAL TIME.

SO THAT MEANS THERE IS NO. CONNECT BACK AND FORTH. CERTAINLNLY THE TIME TO EVACUAT. IS OVER. THAT WAS OVER. >> Martha: HOW MANY PEOPLE DO. YOU THINK ARE STILL OUT THERE? >> I'M SURE THERE ARE SOME, BUT. THEY ALSO CUT OFF WATER AND. SEWER OUT THERE AT 3:00. THAT WAS ANNOUNCED SO WE HOPE. THAT THAT WOULD FURTHER ENTICE. PEOPLE NOT TO MAKE A POOR. DECISION TO NOT HEED THOSESE. WARNINGS. >> Martha: WHAT ABOUT THE. LOW-LYING AREAS AND THE STORM. SURGE, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE ON THE. COASTAL SIDE. DO YOU FEEL, DO YOU FEEL GOOD.

ABOUT THE EVACUATION ON THAT. SIDE OF PENSACOLA? >> I THINK SOMETHING THAT ALL OF. PENSACOLA IS WATCHING, WE'RE. STARTING TO SEE A LITTLE BIT OF. TICKING TO THE EAST. OF COURSE, YOU WANT TO BE ON THE. WEST SIDE. WE DON'T WISH THAT, OF COURSE, FOR OUR FRIENDS OVER IN DESTIN, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE. KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON. NONETHELESS WE'RE HAVING AN. IMPACTFUL STORM NO MATTER WHERE. THAT ENDS UP LANDING, ALONG OUR.

SHORE. I'M CERTAINLY APPRECIATIVE OF. GOVERNOR DeSANTIS IN HIS EIGHT. YEARS, HAS HAD US READY TO GO. WE HAD 16,000 LINEMEN, READY. WE'VE GOT 5,000 NATIONAL GUARD. EXCUSE ME, FLORIDA GUARD. SO WE'RE READY TO GO FROM A. STATE LEVEL AND COUNTY LEVEL. >> Martha: HE'S DONE A GREAT JOB. OF SORT OF FRONT LOADING THE. PREPARATION AND THE AFTERMATH. AND RECOVERY EFFOR.