The Gulf Coast is wasting no time in preparing for Tropical Storm Isaias, which is expected to become a hurricane by the time it reaches the state's shores. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 25 counties.

The declaration allows emergency officials to start moving resources and preparing for the impacts of the storm.

DeSantis signed the executive order Tuesday afternoon saying, "This order will allow the Florida Division of Emergency Management to stage critical preparedness resources and ensure Florida is ready to respond."

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(MORE: The complete Isaias forecast)

The order covers the following counties:

• Baker
• Bay
• Calhoun
• Columbia
• Dixie
• Escambia 
• Franklin 
• Gadsden  
• Gilchrist  
• Gulf 
• Hamilton 
• Holmes
• Jackson
• Jefferson 
• Lafayette
• Leon
• Liberty
• Madison
• Okaloosa
• Santa Rosa
• Suwannee
• Taylor
• Walton
• Wakulla
• Washington

DeSantis also encouraged Floridians to "take this time to get disaster plans in place and ensure their hurricane supply kit is stocked."

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The state's Division of Emergency Management said it's staging resources in Tallahassee and Santa Rosa, including generators, sandbags, fuel and tarps.

Planes from the Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City are being evacuated to the MacDill Air Force Base ahead of Isaias. In a Facebook post, Macdill Air Force Base alerted residents in and around the Tampa Bay area to expect "elevated noise" as the aircraft start arriving Wednesday.

In nearby Gulf Shores, Alabama, this weekend's Annual National Shrimp Festival has been canceled.

Officials in Orange Beach said they could declare a state of emergency as early as Thursday.

First hurricane of the season?

Isaias is set to become the first hurricane of this year's Atlantic season, with rapid intensification expected in the next few days. By Friday it could be a Category 2 hurricane before making landfall along the Gulf Coast.

(MORE: What is rapid intensification?)

Heavy rain, destructive winds and storm surge are all threats from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

Preps in Louisiana

Some parishes in southern Louisiana have opened self-service sandbag locations to help residents prepare and protect their homes.

St. Tammany Parish says five locations are open starting Thursday at noon; you just have to show up with a shovel:

• Airport Road Barn (34783 Grantham College Dr., Slidell)
• Fritchie Barn (63119 LA 1090, Pearl River)
• Keller Barn (63131 Fish Hatchery Rd., Lacombe)
• Parish Government Complex (21410 Koop Dr., Mandeville)
• Parish Fairgrounds (1301 N. Florida St., Covington)

Terrebonne Parish reminded its residents that its two permanent sandbag locations are ready:

• Civic Center (346 Civic Center Blvd, Houma)
• Adult Softball Complex (9544 East Main Street, Houma)

WDSU TV in New Orleans reports that multiple high school football games are being rescheduled due to the storm threat.

Florida's emergency declaration is a critical reminder that now is the time for you to prepare if you're one of the millions who could be impacted. If you're not sure what steps to take, check out our hurricane season checklist.

You can also keep with the storm's movements using our maps tracker, which includes the latest satellite images of Isaias, the forecast cone and much more.

This is a developing story, check back frequently for updates.