Hurricane Isaias expected to strengthen before reaching Gulf Coast

Isaias strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 165 kph as it barrelled toward the US Gulf Coast on Thursday

prompting orders for tourists to abandon beaches for safer spots inland.

Locals were sent scurrying for gas and groceries as fishing crews secured their boats before the potential destructive storm's arrival.

Alabama resident Richard Weekly has spent the past two days travelling from gas stations to home improvement stores in his area, gathering supplies he needs to weather Hurricane Isaias.

Alabama resident Richard Weekley said, "Well, you gotta go to the store. You gotta fight the traffic. You gotta get fuel and then you got to get into the store and hope

they have the boards, your plywood and your screws, and luckily they had ours, so we made out pretty good. Then you have to fight the traffic getting back home."

He then worked into the night boarding up the house before waking up the next day to help friends and family prepare their properties for the storm.

Long queues too formed at gas stations in Mobile Alabama as residents prepared for Hurricane Isaias

Gary Wanner, Resident of Mobile said "I've lived here since 1999. I've been through enough storms. I'm just here getting gas for the generator,

just in case you know. We made sure we've got water and, moving all the plants indoors and, just doing the normal - prepare for the storm stuff. It's pretty standard now."

Strong winds and rough seas disrupted tourism in the Mexican town of Progreso as Hurricane Isaias strengthened into a Category 2 storm.

Fishing boats remained secure along the beach with local fishermen expecting to remain out of work for several days.

This restaurant operator said, "The cruise ship they told yesterday it was going to dock, but since they saw the weather was bad, they told us it wouldn't dock.

The ship did dock but he said not many tourists disembarked.

Isaias was forecast to strengthen further before reaching the US Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday.