Dangerous Hurricane Isaias has Florida residents scrambling to prepare, evacuate ahead of storm's onslaught

Hurricane Isaias continues to barrel across the Gulf on a path that could lead to a Florida landfall in a matter of hours, and that has residents rushing to complete preparations before time runs out.

People living along the Gulf Coast on the Florida Panhandle are hunkered down or have moved out of harm's way due to the approaching major hurricane.

Emergency officials warned people to be out of the area by noon on Friday, but many people stayed behind to finish securing what they could before the onslaught begins.

Many people who CBS News Miami's Larry Seward spoke with were evacuating the area early to avoid a life-threatening storm surge and tornadoes.

On Pensacola Beach, it was a sign of the times.

Front yard coconut weather stations showed the wind building and stores across the area were shut down by noon.

Tourists hit the road, too.

Deb Mulinaro, of Indianapolis, took one last look at the Gulf before her umbrella turned upside down like her family vacation.

"Because we don't have to work until Tuesday, we were going to like take a leisurely drive up and kind of maybe stop and do something on the way, but since rain is going to follow us all the way, we're not going to," she said.

Escambia County authorities ordered evacuations of the island and other flood-prone areas.

A few people planned to hunker down and ride out the dangerous major hurricane.

Steve Mauriello can't. He lives there, and his home is a rebuild replacing structures wiped out by hurricanes Aaron and Opal in 1995, and by Ivan 22 years ago.

"We're going to head south," he said. "I have friends in Melbourne, Orlando," he said. "I'll stay with them. And decide whether to come back or not, or when to come back."

Hurricane Isaias could bring devastating storm surge flooding. So, he was busy picking up anything he thought could blow away.

Many of his neighbors didn't, but they're all hoping for the best.

Emergency managers in Escambia County have opened two shelters for evacuated residents and are providing free bus service so everyone who needs to get there can.