TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida officials urged Panhandle residents to prepare for strong winds, flooding and power outages Thursday as Hurricane Isaias moved across the Gulf of Mexico, threatening to become the state’s first hurricane in two years. The Category 2 storm could intensify further before reaching the coast near the Florida-Alabama border late Friday or early Saturday, according to the National Hurricane Center, as cited by state officials. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida was preparing for conditions worse than the forecast projected. The state had positioned aircraft, rescue teams, fuel and other emergency supplies in the region, he said at a briefing at the Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee. “People should take it seriously,” DeSantis said. “Understand that you are going to have impacts. There’s no question.” U.S. Sen. Rick Scott also urged people in evacuation zones to leave, saying they should “get the hell out.” The storm is the first major test for Jared Perdue, the newly appointed executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Perdue also leads the state Transportation Department. His predecessor, Kevin Guthrie, left the emergency management post in August after joining Lt. Gov. Jay Collins’ unsuccessful Republican primary campaign for governor. Residents in the storm’s potential path faced the immediate risks of damaging winds, flooding and interruptions to electricity and transportation. State officials called for preparations before conditions deteriorate.