CHARLESTON, S.C. – Thousands of sandbags are lining the streets of Charleston as the community prepares for Hurricane Florence.
The biggest concern, officials said, is protecting people and belongings from storm surges that are predicted to reach up to 4 feet.
Flooding contract Keith Anderson told 11Alive that all of the effort into placing sand bags in the streets won’t do much good.
“They are simply putting a bunch of sandbags up in front of their door. The problem is, sandbags alone will leak,” Anderson said. “Any sandbag wall alone will leak. That’s why, a lot of times, when you see someone making sandbag walls, they’re actually putting plastic up and over them.”
Charleston is full of incredible, historic homes and its iconic views draw about 5 million visitors every year.
Rick McGeorge has lived in downtown Charleston his entire life, and he told 11Allive he has ridden out every major storm to come his way.
“Usually, it’s all flooded. Everything downtown is flooded,” McGeorge said. “You’ll actually see boats going down the roads.”
McGeorge said he’s taken some precautions – but is expecting some cleanup after the storm.
“We’ve put plastic bags outside the house, at least to try and keep some of the debris out,” McGeorge said. “The water is gonna get under the house.”
There is still time to take action.
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Emergency officials don’t expect the worst conditions until Friday afternoon.
PHOTOS: Stunning images of Florence from space
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