Business owners in Miami Beach were preparing for Hurricane Isaias Friday, with some expressing frustration that their restaurants would have to close again.
On Ocean Drive, employees at Pasta-go and Gelato-go were hard at work Friday morning bringing in the restaurants' chairs and tables from the outdoor seating area.
Gigi Coppolino, the restaurants' owner, told NBC 6 that possibly having to close down so quickly after having had to implement COVID restrictions would be tough for his business.
“It’s really hard, believe me,” Coppolino said. “Really hard.” He said he would decide whether to remain open throughout the weekend depending on Saturday's forecast.
“If we can open, we open. If we can’t, we’ll stay closed.”
All parks and marinas are closed for the weekend in Miami-Dade. At a press conference, County Mayor Carlos Gimenez warned that "it's not a huge storm, but it can cause damage... Everyone should have sufficient food and water for each person in your home to last at least three days and up a week."
Isaias ripped shingles off roofs and blew over trees as it carved its way through the Bahamas early Saturday and headed toward the Florida coast.
Local
Saturday's 5 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center showed Isaias's track had shifted slightly to the east, making landfall within Miami-Dade and Broward counties less probable. Northeastern Broward County, including Pompano Beach and Lighthouse Point, was the most at-risk for a direct hit.
