TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – As meteorologists monitor the potential impacts of a tropical system heading toward northern Florida, Leon County officials and residents are preparing.

The Leon County Emergency Management Agency said it is still monitoring the situation to determine if shelters need to be opened and if schools should be closed as it is still in the first phase of its response. In addition, the agency said it is waiting for the Hurricane Hunter aircraft to provide more accurate data before making any further announcements.

However, officials said this potential storm poses a challenge due to the speed of the storm.

In preparation, the district opened five sandbag locations this week:

• Leon County Northeast Branch Library, 5513 Thomasville Road

• Apalachee Regional Park (solid waste disposal facility), 7550 Apalachee Parkway

• Fred George Park, 3043 Capital Circle NW

• Intersection of Oak Ridge Road and Ranchero Road

• Fort Braden Community Park, 15000 Blountstown Hwy

Sand, bags and bands are available to the public. Residents are allowed to bring a maximum of 15 sandbags per household.

The City of Tallahassee has also opened sandbagging stations at the Jack McLean Community Center (700 Paul Russell Road), the Mike Blankenship Skate Park (2909 Jackson Bluff Road) and the Northwood property (1940 N. Monroe Street, near El Jalisco). Sandbags are limited to 25 bags per household and the locations are self-service stations.

Mary Kate was one of the first residents to receive sandbags in Apalachee Regional Park. Her home is in a flood zone, so she made picking up the sandbags a priority.

“Sandbags help a lot,” she said. “It’s definitely worth the time, effort and energy if you don’t want your house to be underwater.”

The district provides tips to help citizens fill and place the sandbags correctly:

Tune in to Eyewitness News at 5 and 6 for the full story. This story will also be updated tonight with more details.

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