VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Flagler and Volusia County officials said they are closely monitoring severe weather that is expected to bring heavy rainfall, and they are warning everyone the risk for rip currents is going to be high this weekend.

Coastal cities are preparing for rain, flooding, wind and other significant weather impacts this weekend. 

In Flager, the close to eleven and a half miles of beach dunes are working to protect property, like homes and businesses. 

The area is currently under a coastal flood advisory, with current onshore winds and heavy surf set to continue over the next two days. The prolonged storms could cause beach and dune erosion, particularly at high tide. 

Officials are closely tracking an approaching storm system that is expected to impact the county on Thursday and last through the weekend, which may affect both inland and coastal areas.

“Officials recommend staying out of the water as conditions continue to deteriorate; however, if the decision is made to enter the water, a person should do so in front of a staffed lifeguard tower and remain in waist-deep water to firmly grasp the bottom,” the county stated in a press release.

Rip currents and high surf advisories are in place for this weekend.

Getting trapped in a rip current can happen suddenly. Safety officials said that rip currents are normally 10 to 30 yards wide and the best way to escape them is to swim parallel to the beach.

County officials are also urging inland communities to prepare for any flooding that might happen because of excessive rainfall.

Residents along the coastal areas are not taking any chances after what they've experienced during Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. There are alerts in effect, and people have been taking the necessary caution. 

Ponce Inlet resident Laura Hatcher says she loves living by the water.

“It's wonderful. As long as the weather's good, it's great. Even when the weather's not great, it's still pretty good," Hatcher said. 

Her parents built their home in 2003, and since then Hatcher says they have experienced instances when the weather has not been great. 

During Hurricane Ian, both her primary bedroom and her living room were completely flooded. 

“This door and in the master, there's another door. We'd had them just installed right before the hurricanes, and they leaked really badly. And not just from water coming in underneath it was water coming in on top. So the installation was wrong," Hatcher said.

They had to dry the rooms using towels for two days to keep the water from getting through the entire house. 

“It was a nightmare. I mean, at first, I said it's normal for a little water to build up under the tracks," she said. "But I mean, and I kept telling my sister, who is here with me at the time, Oh, it's fine. It's fine. And then they come over and it was like a lake all the way up to here.And I was like, It's not fine. This is a problem."

This time, she is preparing by making sure everything in her backyard that can become a hazard with the high wind is put away. 

“Sometimes when I'm doing this, the wind comes too strong and will almost knock me over and take this out of my hands. That’s definitely happened a time or two," she said. 

Portable toilets, trash cans, and dog bag dispensers are all being removed until conditions clear up.