Residents watching Sandy's track

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Hampton Roads residents say they are closely watching Hurricane Sandy approach the United States.

"I remember before [hurricane] Isabel we were living in a different part of Norfolk," Norfolk resident Cindy Conde said. "It was gorgeous, breezy and beautiful and then it wasn't."

Conde now lives by the Hague which is just one of the city's flood-prone areas.

"The flooding is the worst," Conde said. "The last track that I saw [Sandy] wasn't necessarily going to hit us, but there might be that storm surge. Sometimes that's worse than getting hit full on."

Norfolk Public Works has already started preparing for Sandy. Wednesday, crews cleaned out storm water drains and ditches along the coast.

"Obviously we'd rather the storms didn't come," Norfolk's Director of Public Works Mike Keifer said. "We know some areas that have been trouble spots in the past. We go out and make sure they are cleaned out and if necessary, some additional work [could be done] to make sure we are ready for the storm."

WAVY.com contacted other cities in the area. Officials with the cities of Hampton and Newport News said keeping drains and ditches clear is a daily occurrence and have put crews on standby. WAVY.com did not hear back from officials in Portsmouth and Virginia Beach.

Norfolk officials say crews will be back Thursday clearing drains and ditches.

On a state level, Michael Cline, from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management has said before, the biggest concern during hurricane season is storm surge.

You can check the storm surge map for your neighborhood.  Here's one place to check out where you live.

If your home floods during a Nor'easter or other big storms, make sure you have an evacuation plan and flood insurance.

Also, don't try to drive through a flooded road.  Turn around because it only takes two feet of water for your car to be swept off the road.