Somerset County prepares for potential flooding

Hurricane Florence may be making landfall hundreds of miles south of Delmarva, but the effects will still be felt in places like Crisfield, now under a Coastal Flood Warning until Sunday morning.

Residents concerns are compounded by the fact that the area has been inundated with rain recently, with officials telling 47ABC parts of the city were under a foot of water earlier in the week.

“All I had to do was step on my porch and look down the way and there was water,” said Crisfield resident Mike Assalone.

So even though we won’t see the brunt of the storm, residents are still taking precautions.  Like getting the usual water bottles, non-perishable food items, or making sure their medications are in order.

The city and county are teaming up to help residents, supplying a mound of sand in back of the Crisfield High School parking lot, and empty sand bags at City Hall.

In addition to the sand and sand bags for residents, the city is also opening up Carvel Hall for residents to park their cars during the storm.  It’s one of the high points in Crisfield.

Some residents we talked with say they were here during Superstorm Sandy, and they’re going to wait this one out.   Maybe.

“Maybe evacuate. We’re just going to keep an eye on it,” said Assalone.

Crisfield has historically flooded fairly easily, and we’re told the city will be closing down streets when circumstances require.  The police department will also be watching for vehicles driving through flooded streets that create wave action that can potentially damage property.