Hurricane Isaias strengthened late Wednesday as it moved toward the U.S. Gulf Coast, where forecasters expected it to come ashore between Mississippi’s coast and the Florida Panhandle late Friday or early Saturday. The National Hurricane Center said the storm’s center was about 460 miles south-southwest of the Mississippi River, with maximum sustained winds near 75 mph. Isaias was moving east-northeast at 9 mph. Forecasters warned the storm could bring heavy rain and flash flooding. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency in 40 counties, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did so for 25 counties in the Panhandle and Big Bend. Florida’s declaration activates the state’s hurricane emergency plan and allows officials to deploy responders and equipment; the state also planned to send an urban search-and-rescue team. Officials in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach urged people in low-lying areas to consider leaving. Gulf Shores canceled the National Shrimp Festival, scheduled to run Thursday through the weekend. The event drew an estimated 325,000 people last year. In Pensacola, utilities positioned crews to respond to outages, and city officials made sand available for residents filling sandbags. Mayor D.C. Reeves urged people to check on older neighbors and others who may need help. “This is really about preparation,” he said at a news conference, adding there was no need to panic. Gulf Shores resident Maranie Adams said her family was moving belongings to higher ground and planned to shelter at home about a half-mile from shore. They were bringing their chickens indoors in crates, she said. The storm also disrupted offshore energy production. About a quarter of Gulf oil output—roughly 511,000 barrels a day—was temporarily halted Wednesday, and eight of the region’s 371 manned oil platforms had been evacuated, according to the Marine Minerals Administration. The Gulf produces nearly 15% of U.S. crude oil annually. An energy analyst described market risk as moderate but rising, with a direct strike near refineries a particular concern. Isaias became the Atlantic season’s first hurricane more than four months into the season, nearly matching the record for the latest first hurricane, set when one formed Oct. 8, 1905. The Atlantic has been unusually quiet this year amid a strong El Niño, which can suppress storm formation there, while activity in the Pacific has been above average.