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Preparing for the worst ahead of Isaac


August 23, 2012 — People in the Caribbean and the United States are preparing for the potential arrival of Tropical Storm Isaac. The storm could also disrupt the Republican National Convention.


Isaac's current forecast track
Isaac's current forecast track

Bottled water and milk are just some of the items flying off the shelves in Puerto Rico as people prepare for Tropical Storm Isaac.

Isaac is churning in the Atlantic Ocean, and it's forecast to strengthen into a hurricane.

The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane watch for Puerto Rico and the U-S Virgin Islands. The Dominican Republic has one as well. That means hurricane conditions are possible within 48 hours.

Officials in Puerto Rico say they have more than 400 shelters ready to go, if needed.

In Antigua, residents were also bracing for the worst on Wednesday.

"The government issued a request for all the businesses to close this afternoon," said Steve Selim, a local, told The Weather Network. "Streets are terribly empty, the supermarkets were very busy yesterday and this morning. Everybody's just waiting and seeing!" 

While still days away from possibly making landfall in the United States, American forecasters are also keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Isaac. In fact, the storm could disrupt the Republican National Convention next week in Tampa, Florida. 

Stocking up on supplies in Puerto Rico
Stocking up on supplies in Puerto Rico

Those planning to go to the event might face a little deja-vu. Four years ago, Hurricane Gustav brought the first night of the Republican National Convention to a halt -- even though it took place in Saint Paul, Minnesota, more than a thousand miles from its Louisiana landfall. Now Tropical Storm Isaac has set its sights on the Southeast

50-thousand people are expected to descend on Tampa for the convention. The city's mayor, Bob Buckhorn, says he isn't worried about the potential for rough weather. He says authorities are trained and ready to host the big event.

"We're prepared for it. We train for it. We have contingency plan after contingency plan. It is our reality as Floridians," Buckhorn explains. "Obviously there are some sorts of stances that involve weather that we can't predict, that we can't control. But we are ready in the event that it happens. I don't think it's going to be a factor in this particular convention, but we are prepared in the event that it is."  

For more details on Isaac's track, visit The Weather Network's Tropical Storm Centre. 

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