Labor Day Weekend picks up in P'Cola

PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. (WALA) - Days after Hurricane Isaac pounded much of the Gulf Coast, things on Pensacola Beach were back to business as usual.

The sun shone on hundreds of beach goers who turned out to enjoy the Labor Day weekend. They enjoyed the Florida panhandle beach; the area was spared the worst of the storm.

James Waguespack wasn’t as fortunate. His Louisiana home bore the brunt of the storm.

"When it came east and it stalled, the water just kept pouring into a lot of places that never get water. It was very trying," he said.

Waguespack says he came to Pensacola Beach after the storm knocked out his home's power.

The panhandle didn't face widespread damage like Mississippi and Louisiana, but it didn’t escape the storm unscathed. Isaac's outer bands washed sand over several roads, including the one to Fort Pickens, a popular camping spot that attracts many beachgoers. Officials say they hope to have the road cleared by the end of September.

Still, officials say it could have been much worse.

"We dodged a bullet, even though it was only a Category 1. You can see the films from Mississippi and Louisiana of what it can do. We have to take these storms seriously, no matter what category they are," said Buck Lee with the Santa Rosa Island Authority.

The weather didn't keep the hotels from filling up, according to Lee.

Gary Fletcher came from Tennessee to enjoy the beach despite the possibility that Isaac could interrupt his vacation.

"My vacation was set, so I wasn't turning around for anything. I figured the damage would be cleaned up in three days anyway. So we're just having a ball down here," Fletcher said. "I don't know how many people had plans down here. But no one's plans, unless they panicked early, were interrupted. It's just perfect and I couldn't ask for anything better.”