Gov. Kemp urges Georgians to be prepared as state braces for Hurricane Isaias' impacts

Gov. Brian Kemp is asking Georgians to not let the calm weather before Hurricane Isaias makes landfall lull them into a false sense of security.

At the dedication of global biopharmaceutical company UCB, Inc.'s new facility in Gwinnett County, the governor took a few moments to urge Georgians to be prepared for possible severe weather threats.

"Be prepared. Have your batteries fresh. Stock up on food and water," Kemp said. "If you have time fill the gas tank of your car up cause you need to get somewhere or if you need to hunker down for 24 hours."

The governor said that, while Isaias' path isn't predicted to go through Georgia, the state is still expected to see strong winds and heavy rain as the storm's eastern bands hit the area. Kemp said that there was a potential for pop-up tornadoes, power outages, and downed trees.

Georgians should be "not alarmed, but be prepared," Kemp said.

On Thursday, Kemp declared a state of emergency for all of Georgia. The order allows the state to move resources into position ahead of the storm and authorizes Kemp to call up as many as 500 Georgia National Guard troops if needed, though Kemp said he believed that the local partners and state assets that were preparing ahead of time would be enough for the storm response.

"We'd rather have them on alert so we can pull them up quicker if something happens," he said.

For anyone traveling for football games over the weekend, Kemp said they should be careful.

"I would just tell people to make sure you're paying attention to what's happening by the hour if you're traveling, especially if you're going over to Tuscaloosa or anywhere else in the state of Alabama or the Panhandle in Florida. You just need to be prepared to maybe reverse course if things get really bad," he said.

The governor said that anyone who sees potential possible price gouging due to the storm the storm should contact the Attorney General's Office.

As of Friday afternoon, Isaias had strengthened into a major category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph.

The storm is expected to make landfall on Friday night near the Alabama-Florida line, and bring with it a significant storm surge, damaging winds, and floods.

Some metro Atlanta events have been canceled or delayed due to the weather threat, including Atlanta Pride, which canceled all of Saturday's programming due to potentially hazardous conditions.