Authorities in Okaloosa County, located in northwest Florida, have ordered mandatory evacuations for several coastal areas and announced the closure of three airports for this Thursday, October 8, due to the threat posed by Hurricane Isaías, which is moving through the Gulf of Mexico toward the U.S. coast.
The mandatory evacuation will take effect at 12:00 noon on Thursday, while the three county-managed airports plan to suspend their operations starting at 9:00 p.m. local time.
The measures were announced by local authorities on Wednesday, when Okaloosa declared a state of emergency due to the potential effects of the cyclone, which could cause destructive winds, coastal flooding, and prolonged power outages.
The official statement from Okaloosa County Emergency Management outlines the affected areas, evacuation times, airport closures, and the opening of shelters for the community.
Which areas of Florida should evacuate due to Isaias?
The mandatory evacuation affects residents of the coastal zones A and B of Okaloosa County, which are considered especially vulnerable to flooding and storm surges.
Among the included places are:
Okaloosa Island.
Coastal areas of Fort Walton Beach.
Coastal areas of Destin.
Certain areas of Mary Esther.
Parts of Niceville located within the designated evacuation zones.
The order does not mean that all residents of these cities must leave their homes, but rather those whose residences are located within the zones A and B indicated by the authorities.
To check if an address is affected, residents can use the official evacuation map of Okaloosa County, which allows them to locate a property and consult its risk classification.
The authorities also requested that tourists and visitors from outside the area begin to leave the zone starting at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7.
Unlike the mandatory evacuation for residents of zones A and B, this directive for visitors was issued as a preventive request.
These are the three airports that will close due to the hurricane
The county government confirmed that the three airports under its management will close on Thursday, October 8th at 9:00 p.m. due to the expected weather conditions.
The affected facilities are:
Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS): an airport with commercial flights serving Destin, Fort Walton Beach, and other areas in the northwestern part of Florida.
Destin Executive Airport (DTS): a facility primarily dedicated to general and executive aviation.
Bob Sikes Airport (CEW): Crestview airport used for general aviation operations and specialized aeronautical activities.
According to the official announcement, aircraft operations will not be allowed after 9:00 p.m., and airport terminals or facilities cannot be used as shelters during the emergency.
The announced closure exclusively affects these three airports in Okaloosa. It does not imply a general closure of the airports in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or Orlando.
People with flights to or from VPS should check directly with their airline to see if their itinerary has been canceled, rescheduled, or modified, as operational adjustments may occur before the scheduled closing time.
Okaloosa will open two shelters starting this Thursday
The authorities announced that two shelters will welcome evacuated residents starting at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 8.
The first will be located at Davidson Middle School, at 6261 Old Bethel Road, Crestview, Florida 32536.
This center will welcome the general population, individuals with special needs, and residents accompanied by pets. Animals will remain in a separate area, and individuals with special needs must follow the prior registration procedure established by health authorities.
The second shelter will be located at Raider Arena, Northwest Florida State College, at 100 E. College Boulevard, Niceville, Florida 32578.
The county warned that additional facilities could be opened depending on the progress of the hurricane and the demand for accommodation.
People going to the shelters should bring identification, medications, clothing, hygiene products, bedding, chargers, insurance documentation, and any products necessary to address special medical or dietary needs.
They are distributing sandbags and activating emergency alerts
As part of the preparations, Okaloosa set up two self-service points to collect sand and bags intended to protect homes from potential flooding, as long as supplies are available.
The announced locations are Stillwell Park, at 710 Essex Road, Fort Walton Beach, and Public Works North, at 1759 South Ferdon Boulevard, Crestview.
The county's Emergency Operations Center was activated on Wednesday at level 2 and is expected to increase its operational capacity on Friday morning.
The authorities also announced the suspension of regular county public transportation starting Friday, October 9, with the intention of resuming service when conditions allow.
Residents can receive official notifications through Alert Okaloosa or by sending the text message OKALOOSAFL to 888777.
Isaías threatens with strong winds, storm surge, and heavy rains
Evacuations occur after the National Hurricane Center (NHC) confirmed on Wednesday night that Isaias reached category 1, with sustained maximum winds of 120 kilometers per hour.
The agency has issued hurricane warnings, storm surge advisories, and tropical storm alerts for various areas of the northern Gulf Coast, where there is a risk of dangerous flooding, wind damage, and power outages.
CiberCuba reported that Isaías became the first hurricane of the Atlantic in 2026, following a season marked by an extraordinarily prolonged absence of cyclones of that intensity.
Previously, Governor Ron DeSantis had declared a state of emergency in 25 counties in Florida to facilitate the preparation and mobilization of resources.
The state declaration and the specific evacuation orders are different measures: while the former allows for coordinating the response to the disaster, the evacuations announced in Okaloosa specifically affect the areas identified by local authorities.
The county urged the public not to wait until the last moment to leave the areas under evacuation order and recommended following the bulletins from the NHC and the updates from Okaloosa County Emergency Management, as schedules and emergency measures may change as the hurricane evolves.
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