Hurricane Isaias strengthens as it heads towards land

Hurricane Isaias upgraded to a major Category 3 storm Friday, bearing down on the US Gulf Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is forecast to make landfall in Florida, Alabama or Mississippi within the next day. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has issued mandatory evacuation orders for numerous counties, while states of emergency have been declared in portions of Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

The hurricane is currently situated about 240 miles south of Pensacola in Florida's Panhandle, with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles (195 kilometers) per hour. The National Hurricane Center has warned of heavy rainfall and a life-threatening storm surge along the central US Gulf Coast, from the Mississippi River's mouth to Suwannee.

Several airports in northwestern Florida are set to halt operations. President Donald Trump, who was set to attend a college football game in Alabama, has said he will "let the hurricane determine" his travel plans. Oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico has been impacted, with around 63 percent of oil production and 57 percent of gas production temporarily suspended, taking nearly 1.3 million barrels of oil and an unspecified amount of gas off the market.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin urged those in the storm's path to prepare, stating that federal authorities are coordinating response efforts with state and local governments.