NAVARRE BEACH, Fla. — People in Navarre Beach are deciding whether to leave or stay as Hurricane Isaias moves toward the area.
Officials have evacuation orders in place for much of the area and other parts of the Florida Panhandle.
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Even with those orders, Channel 2’s Ashlyn Webb saw dozens of people still on the beach Thursday as dark clouds sat in the distance and waves picked up.
A double red flag was flying on the beach, which means the water is off limits to the public.
The National Weather Service says the storm could bring waves up to 25 feet, storm surge up to 7 feet, severe flooding and wind gusts up to 95 miles an hour when it moves through Friday into Saturday morning.
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Webb reported heavy traffic on Interstate 65 northbound as people decided to leave. She also spoke with people on the beach who were packing up.
“What if we’re trapped in. You always have to worry about being without power, being rained in, so I decided to head up,” Jillian Plummer said.
Others told Webb they planned to stay after going through many hurricanes there.
“It’s a mandatory evacuation but we’re not going anywhere. It’s fine we live in a brick house and traffic is bad at this point,” Megan Stringer said.
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