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Palm Beach County leaders have declared a Local State of Emergency as Hurricane Ian has the area under a Tropical Storm warning.
Vice Mayor Gregg Weiss says it was done out of an abundance of caution.
"That's one of the things that's helpful. If any of our communities need federal assistance, it's one of the ways that they can get access to some of that funding if need be."
While some tropical storm force winds are forecast for Palm Beach, the bigger concern is the flooding because the ground is already saturated from recent rains.
Weiss urges residents living near storm drains to clear them out as soon as possible.
"Because depending on the track of the storm and how slowly it moves it can dump a lot of water very quickly. So I think our biggest concern right now is potential localized flooding."
Here is a portion of a news release from the county regarding the Emergency declaration:
In an abundance of caution, Palm Beach County has signed a Declaration of Local State of Emergency. Hurricane Ian is a large storm and effects could be felt hundreds of miles away. Flooding rains and gusty winds remain a possibility even though the county is not in the cone. This declaration will allow public expenditures related to preparation for Hurricane Ian to be an eligible expense, if the threshold for Category B damages are met.