FORT LAUDERDALE - Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis is urging residents to take the effects of Hurricane Milton seriously in part because of the "unpredictability" of storms.
At a news briefing Tuesday afternoon, Trantalis said the city was expecting sustained winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour and gusts of up to 50 mph on Wednesday.
He urged residents to "secure your property, stock up on supplies" and check your homes to make sure items were secure and "Make sure your pets are in a safe place."
He also said 5,000 bags of sand had been distributed to people at three locations: Floyd Hull Stadium, Shirley Small Park and MIlls Pond Park where he spoke with reporters.
"Fort Lauderdale is under a tropical storm watch and a flood watch and a tornado is also a possibility," he said. He also said the city anticipated 2 to 4 more inches of rain through Thursday.
Trantalis said that city workplaces were "evaluating hot spots and areas of concern in low-lying areas. We also pre-deployed assets including vacuum trucks and temporary pumps. These steps should reduce flooding and keep roads passable."
He said levels of water in canals had been lowered. He also said garbage collections would continue as scheduled but he encouraged people to avoid putting out items for bulk pickup until after the storm passed.
Trantalis also said the city was prepared to send teams of police officers and firefighter/paramedics to the west coast to help out if needed.
CBS News Miami also spoke to Fort Lauderdale Fire Chief Steve Gollan.
Gollan said "We are part of FEMA Task Force 2 and they have been rostered and are ready to deploy when the orders are given. We also have teams in place along with most municipalities in Broward County and the way this takes place is when a city determines that it needs help, they send that request up to Tallahassee and the team will be assigned."
Gollan said it was important to help other communities in need.
"I think one of the things in Florida is that we all have loved ones through this entire state and this could have been us. We understand that and we want to get our teams out there to our neighbors like Naples and Fort Myers, and they are just a couple of hours away."
CBS News Miami discovered that MIlls Pond Park was packed with residents using shovels and their own bags to get as many as 10 bags of sand each. It was a labor-intensive process and on Tuesday afternoon, there was a long line of cars at the park.
As he filled up his bags of sand, Tony Scott, who has lived in Fort Lauderdale for 30 years, said: "I have got to protect my home. I have been through this before and that is important."
Jose Toma echoed the same sentiments.
"I have got to do what I can for my house and my family," Toma said. "This may not be a hurricane coming here but you never know what to expect. This could be bad."
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