TALLAHASSEE (VINnews) – Hurricane Isaias is a Category 3 major hurricane with 120 mph winds, and the western Florida Panhandle is in the bullseye for a dangerous landfall tonight.

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Landfall is expected Friday evening near Pensacola, possibly between Pensacola and Destin. The worst conditions are likely near the center and just east of it, putting areas from Pensacola through Panama City at the highest risk.

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Storm surge is the biggest threat. Forecasters are calling for 5 to 7 feet along much of the Panhandle coast, and up to 9 feet from the Santa Rosa and Okaloosa county line to Grayton Beach. Heavy rain, hurricane-force winds, and tornadoes are also expected.

Governor Ron DeSantis, speaking from the Escambia County emergency center and later on FOX Weather, told residents under evacuation orders to leave now. His message was simple: hide from the wind, run from the water. You do not need to drive hundreds of miles. Tens of miles inland, or a local shelter, is enough.

Evacuation orders are already in place across Bay, Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, Franklin, and Gulf counties, mostly for Zones A and B, barrier islands, and low-lying areas. Okaloosa ordered a mandatory evacuation for Okaloosa Island and coastal parts of Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Mary Esther, and Niceville.

A state of emergency covers 27 counties. About 5,000 Florida National Guard members are mobilized, nearly 400 State Guard soldiers are deployed, and more than 6,000 utility workers are staged. The state has more than 1,000 generators, half a million gallons of gasoline, a million gallons of diesel, and over a million bottles of water ready.

Tolls are lifted on the Garcon Point Bridge, the Mid-Bay Bridge, and Spence Parkway in Destin. Pensacola International Airport is shut down. Commercial flights at Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport are suspended until Saturday evening.

If you are staying, plan on losing power. Have at least 72 hours of water, food, medication, and fuel ready.