(Gray News) - Officials issued a desperate plea as Hurricane Isaias approaches the Gulf Coast with possible "devastating" winds.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott encouraged residents in designated areas to evacuate as soon as possible and warned in a social media post: "This is your LAST CHANCE to get prepared. Listen to local officials. If they say evacuate, then GET THE HECK OUT."Isaias has grown into a Category 3 storm, the first of an unusually quiet Atlantic season.

The storm is expected to make landfall Friday night.