NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. Hurricane Isaias has made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center. The Hurricane Center said it expected the storm to make landfall early Tuesday near southern North Carolina. Still, on this part of the South Carolina and North Carolina coasts that has been affected to varying degrees by seven tropical storms or hurricanes since 2014, residents weren't panicking. Up the coast in southern North Carolina, high winds from Isaias inner core knocked down trees and power lines, blocking roads. Farther up the coast into North Carolina, the hurricane center predicted storm surges of 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 meters) when Isaias moves onshore.

Authorities in North Carolina ordered the evacuation of Ocracoke Island, which was slammed by last years Hurricane Dorian. The center of COVID-19 now is in Grand Bahama, the islands minister, Sen. Kwasi Thompson, told government-run ZNS Bahamas. A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the area, and a watch means they are possible. Kevin Shelton, the owner of Causeway Mowers in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida, said his store has been packed since Friday. Associated Press writers Tamara Lush in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida, and Cody Jackson in Palm Beach County, Florida, contributed.

In Florida, Trump also participated in a meeting to review the response to COVID-19 and the state’s preparedness for Hurricane Isaias, which was centered in the Bahamas on Friday and expected to move near South Florida on Saturday. “I don’t know if it’s going to be a hurricane or not, but it’s a storm. Asked if the rising COVID-19 death toll could diminish his chances in the state, Trump told reporters that he had confidence in his adopted home state. Democratic supporters of Biden in Florida criticized Trump for coming to the state to fundraise during such a critical time for the state and nation. “President Trump’s leadership on coronavirus has put us in a strong position to protect vulnerable Americans and rebuild our economy,” he said.

New Hurricane Isaias kept on a path early Friday that’s expected continue on toward our country’s East Coast by the weekend. Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph Friday morning and was centered about 15 miles south-southwest of Great Inagua Island in the Bahamas, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Phonetically, it’s “ees-ah-EE-ahs.”There are different ways to pronounce Isaias, but for the sake of a named storm, the National Hurricane Center has informed meteorologists this pronunciation will be the standard. A hurricane warning was in effect for the northwestern Bahamas, including Andros Island, New Providence, Eleuthera, Abaco Islands, Berry Islands, Grand Bahama and Bimini. The National Hurricane Center was monitoring two other disturbances Friday morning, both over the tropical Atlantic Ocean.

SAN JUAN Forecasters declared a hurricane warning for parts of the Florida coast Friday as Hurricane Isaias drenched the Bahamas on a track for the U.S. East Coast. But authorities in North Carolina ordered the evacuation of Oracoke Island, which was slammed by last year's Hurricane Dorian, starting Saturday evening. The Bahamas has reported more than 570 confirmed COVID-19 cases and at least 14 deaths. Isaias was expected to produce 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of rain in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. ___Associated Press writer Dnica Coto reported this story in San Juan and AP writer Adriana Gmez Licn reported from Miami.