SOMERSET COUNTY, Md. -- People who live in low-lying areas of Somerset County are more than used to flooding. Still, places like Crisfield and Smith Island are getting ready for whatever may come their way.
While flooding isn't new for anyone in Crisfield, it's still a concern with Tropical Storm Debby marching up the East Coast. However, the heavy winds the storm could bring with it had workers at Summer's Cove Marina in full on prep-mode on Tuesday.
"We're keeping our eye on it first of all," said Tom Schisler. "The most important thing is for everybody to come down, check their lines before the storm, during the storm it's too late."
Boaters were clearly heeding that message. If a boat was in the water on Tuesday, it was tied down. Some people decided it wasn't worth leaving it up to chance though.
Schisler said as Tuesday dragged on, they saw more and more people move their boats onto dry land.
As for the rest of Crisfield, Mayor Darlene Taylor told WBOC officials are working on their regular preparations but are following the lead of Somerset County.
She said they are getting sandbags and signage ready, as well as getting the right personnel in place. Taylor said there are no evacuation plans as of right now.
Over on Smith Island, water-based vessels were also getting extra attention.
"I'm going to make sure all the boats pumps are working and throw some extra ropes on in case it does get windy," said Darren Jones with the Smith Island Volunteer Fire Department. "Whenever a storm comes there's always a chance of a tornado and stuff like that."
People will also look to move their cars to parts of the island that are a bit higher up. Jones said Frank Road is a popular spot.
"People will start parking in all the fronts of these properties here because this road in the front rarely goes underwater, and if it does, then there's houses that are full water," said Jones.
Jones was busy throughout the past few days thanks to a break in one of the island's water lines. The line connects to a well that services 70 homes and runs water to Smith Island's emergency shelter, adding urgency to get it fixed.
After two days of work, the line has been repaired and water to those homes and the shelter has been restored.
We also spoke with Somerset County Emergency Services on Tuesday. Officials there told us they are monitoring the forecast, and based on recent reports from the National Weather Service, they are now expecting less rain than first anticipated.