OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Tropical Storm Erika continues to weaken and could dissipate Saturday as it heads further to the west of Florida, and the worry of flooding in central Florida could go with it.
Residents in the surrounding counties spent the past few days preparing for what could have been a direct hit by Erika.
Orlando homeowners who spoke with Eyewitness News said getting sandbags early is better than seeing water creep into their homes during a storm.
Residents in Orlando can still get up to 10 sandbags off of Woods Avenue by showing proof of address.
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PREPARATIONS: County-by-County Information
"Groundwater saturation is a big concern, especially if we have a storm that sits over the county and dumps a lot of rain," said Emergency Management Director Stephen Watts.
Residents in Volusia County spent Friday preparing for the storm's impact on the coast.
In Port Orange, pumps were staged and set up in the event of major flooding.
Residents spent the day carrying unwieldy sandbags in the heat. Most told Channel 9 that it's a small price to pay to be prepared.
"We ain't had none in 10 years, so you never know," said resident Benjamin Favors. "It's better to be prepared than not prepared."
In Daytona Beach, workers shoveled sand into one bag after another, filling hundreds of them before noon.
"I live in a low-lying area. We've flooded several times," said resident David Goldman. "We flooded back in 2009 and even more recently than that, so (I) just want to try and put some sandbags out, keep the water out of the house."
Last year, New Smyrna Beach experienced sheets of water covering neighborhood streets.
In Port Orange, water seeped into more than 60 homes, causing more than $1.5 million in damages.
Officials from the local Emergency Operations Center said rain is the biggest concern from Erika, and the next 48 hours will tell how much central Florida will get.
OSCEOLA COUNTY
In Osceola County, Lakespur Court is prone to flooding, and officials asked residents to plan ahead by placing sandbags by doors and low-lying areas.
Osceola County officials started passing out sandbags Friday in St. Cloud.
Many residents who talked to Eyewitness News said they planned to go shopping and stock up on food and water.
"Last year, the other rain, we had a little situation with the water already," said Avi Colon, who is preparing.
Colon said his wife made him pick up sandbags on Friday. Crews helped him load 10 sandbags into his truck to place around his home as a barrier for water that may seep in.
"I want to be prepared," Colon said. "I already bought two cases of water. My wife, she's driving me crazy already, went to the supermarket to get tuna."
Watts said the time to prepare is now, not in the hours before the storm.
"Stock up on your food," he said. "If you need medication from a specific pharmacy, you may need to call your doctor to get a refill order."
Cities and the county started passing out sandbags Friday and will continue to do so on Saturday.
"I would encourage them to take this weekend to get those sandbags in place so when the rains do start, they don't have those problems," said Watts.
In the meantime, crews are working to do what they can to make room for more water.
"Our ponds and other estuaries are pretty high, pretty full. We are working with Army Corps of Engineers and the Water Management District to drain down our big lakes, so we have a little more storage space," said Watts.
The Kissimmee Utility Authority activated its emergency operations plan on Friday. Crews are on standby to respond to any outages, and are prepared to work long hours to get service restored as quickly as possible.
KUA officials reminded customers that flooding, downed trees and other obstacles can cause delays in service restoration.
Related story: Erika continues weakened western path; Rain expected in central Fla.