CEDAR KEY, Fla. – Emergency crews in Cedar Key were out in full force Monday preparing for severe flooding expected to accompany Tropical Storm Colin.
"We have seen this town flood to 2 to 3 and 4 feet in the past," Cedar Key public works director Bill Crandley said. "It'll happen again. Let's hope it's not today."
Unfortunately, by 5 p.m. the island was already experiencing some flooding.
"We got a lot of water," Levy County Sheriff Bobby McCallum said. "More water than I really expected in to Cedar Key. We're monitoring our coastline and down in Yankee Town as well."
"This is our first time on the west coast and it's a little creepy, and as you can see when you look around, we're used to being surrounded by water being in the key," Angie Zock, who lives in Cedar Key, said.
The small town is 60 miles southwest of Gainesville and is usually a popular vacation spot in the summer. On Monday, it was a ghost town, even though most hotels were still accepting reservations earlier on Monday.
Meanwhile, fishermen are canceling their day trips on the Gulf of Mexico and the city is shutting down all four bridges and the airport, making it impossible for anyone to get on or off the island.
"We definitely anticipate flooding on the island," Crandley said. "If it does flood, then in order to get back over the bridge, you will need a re-entry pass and there will a police officer and sheriff stationed at the Number 4 Bridge."
But not everyone is allowing Mother Nature to ruin their plans.
"We didn't come down for the storm. We came down for a mother-daughter weekend," Mary Dyal said.
Michelle and Mary Dyal are in town from Tallahassee. They said they plan to ride out the storm together and are not sure when they’ll make it home.
"We actually went kayaking yesterday morning," Mary Dyal said.
"Are you going to go kayaking in this today?" Local 10 News reporter Michael Seidan asked.
"Heck no. No, I may be crazy but I ain't that crazy," she said.
Cedar Key remains under a storm watch for the remainder of the day. High tide is expected at 3 p.m. and the storm is expected to make landfall at about 8 p.m.