MARCO ISLAND, Fla. — Residents on Marco Island are keeping a close eye on the potential tropical cyclone, possibly heading our way.
Just last week, several areas on the island experienced flooding during a rainstorm, but neighbors say floods are not an uncommon sight.
"In the last ten days or so, we've had a couple of really heavy short term rain events," said Mike McNees, Marco Island City Manager.
Bob Dugan, a resident of Marco Island, says his street began to flood within the first thirty minutes of the storm.
"We got about 4 inches here, anytime we get more than 3 inches we get some flooding in the streets, it's pretty bad," said Dugan.
The City of Marco Island says it is working to fix the island's areas prone to floods.
"Every year, we budget the amount of money that we get for our capital projects for stormwater improvements in our problem areas," said McNees.
This year it's about $600,000 — But McNees says even with some repairs, floods are unavoidable.
"We're flat, and when we have heavy, heavy rain, there's going to be local flooding," said McNees. "In those cases, we try to do the best we can to get energy vehicles in place where we have localized flooding, if there is an intersection, to keep people from driving into it."
Now, with the potential a tropical cyclone heading toward Southwest Florida, neighbors worry what the roads might look like.
"With the storm coming in, if it holds together and we get 6 or 9 inches of rain, it's going to be some pretty severe flooding," said Dugan.
City officials say they are monitoring the potential tropical storm to make sure they are prepared.
