Homestead: The city is setting up two self-service sandbag stations to provide free sand. The limit is five bags per resident.
Residents are asked to bring their own shovel, fill their own bags and provide identification that proves Homestead residency.
The sandbag stations are located at Harris Field Park, 1034 NE Eighth St. and at Roby George Park, 975 SW Fourth St.
Be advised: Due to wind conditions the City of Homestead will not provide sandbag access on Sunday.
KEY WEST, Fla. – Tropical Storm Isaac gained fresh muscle Sunday as it bore down on the Florida Keys, threatening to be at or near hurricane strength approaching the island chain, and forecasters warned Isaac could grow into an extremely dangerous Category 2 hurricane on an expected track toward the northern Gulf Coast.
Isaac's drew new strength early Sunday during a warm-water crossing of the Florida Straits after causing weekend havoc in Cuba, where it downed trees and power lines, and after leaving four dead earlier in Haiti.
On Key West, locals followed time-worn preparedness rituals such as many hunkered down for a lashing Sunday from Isaac swamped the Caribbean and shuffled plans for the Republican National Convention.
"Currently Isaac is a tropical storm that's expected to become a hurricane as it reaches Key West ... then it will move into the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to strengthen" further, said Meteorologist Jessica Schauer with the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
"Our forecast is that as the system moves northward it is forecast to strengthen to a Category 2," she said, adding an eventual landfall is expected on the northern Gulf Coast. "Definitely the northern Gulf Coast should be preparing for a hurricane right now."
She said Isaac could make a landfall on the northern Gulf Coast late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.
A Category 2 hurricane is capable of top sustained winds of 96-100 mph. But Schauer cautioned that forecasts that far out in time are subject to greater uncertainty. Nonetheless she said a wide swath of the northern Gulf Coast should be bracing for the threat.
Isaac was expected to be at or near hurricane strength by the time its center reached the Keys later Sunday, the hurricane center said.
A hurricane warning was in effect for the Keys, including the Dry Tortuas and for the west coast of Floirda from Bonita Beach south to Ocean Reef, among some other areas, authorities said.
Meanwhile authorities said a hurricane watch has been issued from the mouth of the Mississippi River -- not including the New Orleans metro area -- eastward to Indian Pass., Fla.
A steady line of cars moved north along the Overseas Highway, the only road linking the Florida Keys, while residents boarded up windows, laid down sandbags and shuttered businesses ahead of the approaching storm. Even Duval Street, Key West's storied main drag, was subdued for a weekend, though not enough to stop music from playing or drinks from being poured.
"We'll just catch every place that's open," said Ted Lamarche, a 48-year-old pizzeria owner visiting Key West to celebrate his anniversary with his wife, Deanna. They walked along on Duval Street, where a smattering of people still wandered even as many storefronts were boarded up and tourists sported ponchos and yellow slickers.
"Category None!" one man shouted in a show of optimism.
When it hits, winds will be "enough to knock you over," National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen said.
The Keys were bracing storm surge of up to four feet, strong winds and the possibility of tornadoes. The island chain's two airports closed Saturday night and volunteers and some residents began filing into shelters.
"This is a huge inconvenience," said Dale Shelton, a 57-year-old retiree in Key West who was staying in a shelter.
As of 5 a.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 205 miles east-southeast of Key West, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Isaac had strengthened in recent hours, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph as it gained strength over open water.
The center said a hurricane hunter plane found the top sustained winds had increased from about 60 mph just hous earlier.
The hurricane center said the storm, which was swirling off the northern coast of Cuba overnight, was expected to move near or over the Florida Keys later in the day or Sunday night. Isaac was then forecast to move over the southeast Gulf of Mexico on Monday. It was moving to the northwest toward the Keys at 18 mph. Tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 205 miles from the center, giving Isaac a broad sweep as it passed.
Among the highest-profile potential targets of the storm was the Republican National Convention, set to begin Monday in Tampa. Forecast models show Isaac likely won't hit Tampa head-on, but it could have lashed the city with rain and strong winds just as the convention was ramping up. A tropical storm warning was extended north of Tampa Bay.
Convention officials said they would convene the convention briefly on Monday, then immediately recess until Tuesday afternoon, when the storm should have passed. Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, declared a state of emergency and canceled his plans to attend convention events on Sunday and Monday.
Isaac has already left a trail of suffering across the Caribbean.
The storm's center made landfall Saturday near the far-eastern tip of Cuba, downing trees and power lines. In the picturesque city of Baracoa, the storm surge flooded the seaside Malecon and a block inland, destroying two homes.
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