STUART, Fla. — From sun bathers to wind surfers, dozens of people gathered at the beach in Stuart on Saturday to soak in the last few hours of sunshine before the effects of Hurricane Isaias started to be felt.
The pleasant day quickly changed around 4 p.m., when bands of gusty wind and rain pushed in, creating rough conditions along the coast.
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Artem Plyushch and his friends got to the Treasure Coast two days ago from Virginia.
"I’m on vacation with a couple of friends. It’s actually my birthday." Plyushch said. "So we came here two days ago and we thought the weather was going to pass by. We were hoping for the best but it seems not to be that way."
Plyushch said he and his friends are staying at an Airbnb, which he said makes him worried because the owners of the vacation home warned him it’s in a high flooding area.
"We can pack and leave within an hour. As for right now, we are going to enjoy the weather. Checking my forecast, like, all the time," Plyushch said.
Lake Worth Beach resident Omar Montoya said he and his girlfriend decided to visit Stuart Beach after a day of house hunting in Martin County. He said they are not concerned about Hurricane Isaias and will spend the night trying to relax at home.
"I didn’t want to put shutters this year because it’s just a one or a two. I’ve been living here since '96, so if it’s not a four or above I really don’t put the shutters up anymore," Montoya said.
Another man we caught up with is visiting from Arizona. He is staying with locals so he is optimistic, but he said he has never been through a hurricane.
"Well I feel fine. I really don’t know what to experience," Robert said. "In Arizona, we got the monsoons that come through there, so we get the high winds and the rains. Obviously nothing like this."
