Miami-Dade, Broward Bracing for Tropical Storm Isaac

Officials monitoring storm, preparing for the worst

Officials in Miami-Dade and Broward continued to monitor Tropical Storm Isaac Friday as they prepared for the heavy winds and rainfall expected as the storm nears the Florida Keys late Sunday and early Monday.

"Miami-Dade is still in the forecast zone for Tropical Storm Isaac as of the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center, therefore we still need to move forward with our emergency operations planning," Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said at a news conference Friday.

Isaac Getting a Little Stronger

Gimenez said they're close monitoring the storm's progress and he doesn't anticipate any evacuations but urged residents to have supplies and a place to go.

"We are anticipating some kind of effects from this storm so we have to be prepared for whatever comes our way," Gimenez said.

Monroe County Not Evacuating Residents

Chuck Lanza, the director of the Broward County Emergency Management Division, said that with recent tracks showing the storm moving further west, his office is slightly changing their response plan.

"Right now, it doesn't appear to be direct hit, but we're preparing for heavy rain and for flooding in low-lying areas," Lanza said. "We're staying on top of it just in case something happens and we'll be able to mobilize quickly to do what needs to be done."

Officials at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport said six flights were canceled Friday, all form or to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and Port-au-Prince in Haiti. Another flight coming from Port-au-Prince was delayed, officials said.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

At Miami International Airport, eight delays were reported on flights to and from Santo Domingo, Port-au-Prince and Punta Cana.

The city of Miami Beach was also monitoring the storm and urged people to follow them on Twitter and Facebook for updates. Officials added that although the city is in a low-lying area, no evacuation has been ordered as of Friday afternoon.

Broward County Public Schools spokeswoman Nadine Drew said there were no plans to cancel classes but they will be giving a briefing at 2 p.m. and that could change.

Gimenez said school closures in Miami-Dade are still possible and any decision to cancel classes would be made during the weekend.

Hurricane Ready: County Emergency Plan

Click Here for Miami-Dade's Hurricane Guide

Click Here for Broward's Hurricane Guide

The Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System said the Key West, Key Largo and Homestead clinics will be closed on Monday. All other facilities will operate normally. They also urged people to look at their Facebook and Twitter postings for updates.

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