Key West prepares for Hurricane Milton as residents brace for storm surge and flooding

MIAMI - The Florida Keys are preparing for Hurricane Milton and the potential impacts it may bring.

As rain pours down over Key West, flooding is on everyone's mind, from the heavy rain expected with Milton or the coastal flooding that could result from storm surge.

Rhonda Rinald is not taking any chances. She's filling up sandbags, taking advantage of the free sand offered by the City of Key West to its residents.

"How concerned are you about this?" CBS News Miami asked her. "Well, it's more the surge than anything else. This thing is like a bullet. It's moving really fast," she said.

At Rhonda's home, she is placing the sandbags by her back door, hoping to be ready if the water starts rising.

"We're high enough up that most of the time I don't need them, but if we get a little bit of a surge, this will slow it down from getting into the house," she explained.

Meanwhile, county officials are urging residents to pay close attention to storm surge forecasts.

"We're talking one to three feet. But it's also going to hit here around high tide. So, it'll go through a high tide at that time, which makes it much worse," said Monroe County Commissioner Craig Cates.

On Tuesday, the port in Key West is scheduled to close, and county officials will decide whether to evacuate residents who live on boats.

An announcement is expected Tuesday morning regarding whether Monroe County schools will remain open or be closed on Wednesday.