Hurricane Isaias is a Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds, and it's expected to come ashore tonight somewhere near Pensacola. If you live or run a business between coastal Mississippi and the Florida Big Bend, or inland across southern Alabama and southwest Georgia, the next few days matter.

Below is what we know so far, what to do while the storm is coming and once it's gone, how insurance usually handles hurricane damage, and how ServiceMaster Restore can help you get your home or business back.

Hurricane Isaias: where it's headed and what to expect

At 1 p.m. CDT on October 9, the National Hurricane Center's advisory placed Hurricane Isaias about 145 miles south of Pensacola with 120 mph winds. Landfall was expected that night along the northern Gulf Coast. ABC News reported the likely window as 8 to 10 p.m., within about 40 miles of Pensacola and possibly between Pensacola and Destin, with evacuation orders in many coastal and low-lying parts of Florida. If you're not sure what a Category 3 means for a house, here's what hurricane categories mean.

Warnings, storm surge and rain

The hurricane warning runs from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay/Gulf County line in Florida. A storm surge warning covers the coast from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River.

Surge is the part that floods homes that have never flooded before. The Hurricane Center forecast 6 to 9 feet from the Alabama-Florida line to Grayton Beach, 4 to 6 feet from Dauphin Island to the state line, and 3 to 5 feet in lower Mobile Bay. Rain adds to it: 4 to 8 inches across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, the Big Bend and southwest Georgia, with up to 15 inches in a few places. These are forecasts, not measurements.

Wind, power outages and tornadoes

Isaias won't stop at the beach. The Weather Channel's 3 p.m. update cited the Hurricane Center's warning that hurricane-force winds could reach as far as 100 miles inland into southern Alabama, with power outages lasting at least several days where the hurricane warning is in effect. A tornado watch covered the Florida Panhandle, extreme southwest Georgia and extreme southeast Alabama until 9 p.m. EDT, and forecasters said flash flooding could become widespread near the coast.

If Isaias is headed your way

If you've been told to evacuate, go now. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis put it simply: "You hide from the wind, but you run from the water." The National Hurricane Center calls storm surge the leading cause of hurricane deaths, and a house can't protect you from it.

If you're staying because you're outside the evacuation zones, finish getting ready and then stay inside until the storm has passed and officials say it's over. A few things will make the days afterward easier:

• Charge your phones and battery packs while the power is still on.
• Move valuables, papers and electronics up off the floor.
• Walk through the house with your phone and record every room. Those photos make an insurance claim much easier.
• Know where your main breaker and water shutoff are, but only touch them if you're dry and safe.

What to do after Hurricane Isaias passes

What to do after a hurricane comes down to an order of operations: stay safe first, then record the damage, then stop it from getting worse. People get hurt after the storm, not just during it.

Getting back safely

Wait until local officials say your area is open. On the way home, stay off flooded roads and washed-out bridges, as the National Weather Service warns. Six inches of fast-moving water can knock an adult down, and a foot of it can float most cars, according to the NWS Turn Around Don't Drown campaign.

Treat every downed line as live. If you smell gas, leave and call the utility from outside. With power out for days, a lot of people will run generators. Carbon monoxide is one of the leading causes of death after storms, so keep the generator outdoors and at least 20 feet from windows, doors and vents, as the CDC advises.

Document the damage before you clean

Before you move or throw out anything, take photos and video of every room, the roof line, the waterline on the walls and each damaged item. Keep receipts for tarps, fans, hotel nights and anything else you buy. Then call your insurer and write down your claim number.

Start drying before mold sets in

Once it's safe, cover roof openings and broken windows to keep more water out, and start getting the water you have out of the house. The EPA says that if wet materials are dried within 24 to 48 hours, in most cases mold will not grow. With the Gulf Coast humidity and no power, that's a short window.

Hurricane damage and your insurance

Insurance after a hurricane usually splits in two. Wind damage, like a roof torn open or windows blown in, generally falls under homeowners insurance. Flooding doesn't. So does homeowners insurance cover hurricane damage? Partly, and the details are in your policy.

Wind damage vs. flood damage

FloodSmart, the National Flood Insurance Program's site, says most homeowners and renters policies don't cover flood damage. That takes a separate flood insurance policy, and a new one usually doesn't take effect for 30 days, so it won't help with Isaias if you don't already have it. What is a hurricane deductible?

Many coastal policies have a hurricane deductible that applies instead of your regular one. The Insurance Information Institute says 19 states and Washington, D.C., use them, and they usually run 1% to 5% of the home's insured value, not a flat dollar amount. On a $300,000 house, a 2% hurricane deductible means the first $6,000 is yours. Read your declarations page and call your agent before you assume anything about coverage. We also explain working with your insurance company after a loss.

How ServiceMaster Restore helps homes after Isaias

Hurricane damage rarely stays where you can see it. Water gets under flooring, into wall cavities and up into insulation, and it keeps spreading until someone dries it out properly.

ServiceMaster Restore answers 24/7, 365 days a year, for storm and weather damage restoration after hurricanes and tropical storms, including flooding from storm surge and heavy rain, and wind damage. Our crews start with water extraction, using submersible pumps to get standing water out. Then they dry the structure with air movers and dehumidifiers and clean the air with air scrubbers while the work goes on. You'll find more on that process on our water damage restoration page.

Each home gets its own plan to bring it back to its pre-loss condition, and that includes mold remediation when the water sat too long. We also manage the claim with you and your insurer, so the paperwork moves along with the repairs.

How ServiceMaster Restore helps businesses after Isaias

A business that can't open loses money every day, and so do the people who work there. That's why our Priority Response Program puts crews on site within 2 to 4 hours as conditions allow, 24/7/365. Response isn't tiered by the size of the loss, equipment can be staged before a storm at no charge unless it's used, and you deal with one dedicated account team from start to finish.

Behind that is our Disaster Operations Center, which tracks storms like Isaias so teams across our more than 850 locally owned locations can get ready before landfall. Once the water's out, commercial storm damage restoration and commercial water damage restoration cover structural drying, hidden moisture in walls and HVAC systems, and debris removal. As with homes, check your business policy before you assume what's covered.

Isaias, El Niño and the winter ahead

Isaias showed up late. The Associated Press reported on October 8 that the Atlantic season "has been unusually quiet this year because of a strong El Niño, which disrupts storm formation over that ocean." El Niño didn't cause Isaias. But its bigger effect on the Gulf Coast hasn't arrived yet. NOAA's Climate.gov says El Niño winters bring wetter-than-average weather to the Gulf Coast in more than 80% of cases, so the repairs you make now will be tested again this winter. Here's what El Niño 2026 means for the winter.

After Hurricane Isaias: getting your home or business back

Getting through Hurricane Isaias safely comes first. After that, the order is simple enough to remember: photos, a call to your insurer, and getting things dry within two days. If you need help with any of it, at home or at work, find your local ServiceMaster Restore and we'll take it from there.