A good number of local lakes, ponds and rivers are at high levels after recent pounding afternoon rains that delivered plenty of water. With a potential soaker coming, preparing is essential.“You procrastinate, you're going to seal your fate,” homeowner Ron Evatt said.Related: NHC forecasts Tropical Storm Ian will hit Florida as Category 3 hurricaneFormer utility worker Evatt is not procrastinating. As soon as Seminole County opened its sandbag site near the Boombah Sports Complex, he was there to get what he needed to keep water out.“Around the pool, around the back porch, the screen porch where the sliders are, that's our lowest point,” Evatt said.The St. Johns River is high, swollen by recent rainfall. Two of the three docks at the Wayside Park boat ramps west of Sanford have approaches under water.“Our rivers and lakes are in the action stage, so we have a high concern for additional rain coming to Seminole County,” Steven Lerner, Seminole County emergency management planner, said.He said people new to Florida need to get ready.“Make a plan, determine if your home is safe, if you do need to evacuate, where are you going to go?" Lerner said. At the emergency management warehouse in Seminole County, trailers were loaded with the supplies necessary to get shelters up and running. If and when they'll open will depend on the timing, path and predicted strength of the storm.Some advice for friends and neighbors?“Get water. Fill up your car with gas. Those three or four things are big. Batteries for your radio. Power goes out for a couple of weeks, could be a nightmare,” homeowner Gene Pyle said.“I know what it is to experience hurricanes. Wilma. Katrina. And if you wait too late, it's going to be pandemonium out there, and you have to get your stuff now,” Evatt said.In parts of Orange County, they're also making sure they have room for the rains likely coming.“All of our pump stations are automated, so they'll come on at a certain elevation without anybody even being there. We're just going around making sure they're all operational today,” Jeff Charles with Orange County Public Works said.Making sure they're not only operational but manually pumping water to lower levels in retention areas and pump stations.“We've been actually proactively pumping every day almost when we get these afternoon rain events, just to keep up and keep these areas low,” Charles said.Orange County's storm water system is substantial.“The county has a total of almost 2,000 retention ponds. 95 miles of canals. We've got 18 pump stations. We've got 75 drain wells and two dozen mobile pumps that are ready to go at any time as well,” Charles said.You just have to look around Central Florida to see that a lot of storm water storage is filled. Seminole County opened a self-serve sandbagging operation Friday morning because the water levels are a concern.“It could shut down some major roads, thoroughfares, and trap people in their homes, so we really don't want that happening,” Lerner said. With several days to prepare, back in Orange County, it's doing just that.“Going around checking all of our hot spots, clearing any blockages that may be in the canals, running pump stations, dropping areas that seem to be high and just monitoring lake levels to see what we already have,” Charles said. Pump stations in Orange County also have emergency generators. In case of power loss, the pumps can keep running.KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WATCH IS ISSUEDStay tuned to WESH 2 News, wesh.com, or NOAA Weather Radio for storm updates.Prepare to bring inside any lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trash cans, hanging plants, and anything else that can be picked up by the wind.Understand hurricane forecast models and cones.Prepare to cover all windows of your home. If shutters have not been installed, use precut plywood.Check batteries and stock up on canned food, first-aid supplies, drinking water, and medications.The WESH 2 First Warning Weather Team recommends you have these items ready before the storm strikes.Bottled water: One gallon of water per person per dayCanned food and soup, such as beans and chiliCan opener for the cans without the easy-open lidsAssemble a first-aid kitTwo weeks' worth of prescription medicationsBaby/children's needs, such as formula and diapersFlashlight and batteriesBattery-operated weather radioWHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WARNING IS ISSUEDListen to the advice of local officials. If you are advised to evacuate, leave.Complete preparation activitiesIf you are not advised to evacuate, stay indoors, away from windows.Be alert for tornadoes. Tornadoes can happen during a hurricane and after it passes over. Remain indoors, in the center of your home, in a closet or bathroom without windows.HOW YOUR SMARTPHONE CAN HELP DURING A HURRICANEA smartphone can be your best friend in a hurricane — with the right websites and apps, you can turn it into a powerful tool for guiding you through a storm’s approach, arrival and aftermath.Download the WESH 2 News app for iOS | AndroidEnable emergency alerts — if you have an iPhone, select settings, then go into notifications. From there, look for government alerts and enable emergency alerts.If you have an Android phone, from the home page of the app, scroll to the right along the bottom and click on "settings." On the settings menu, click on "severe weather alerts." From the menu, select from most severe, moderate-severe, or all alerts.PET AND ANIMAL SAFETYYour pet should be a part of your family plan. If you must evacuate, the most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to evacuate them too. Leaving pets behind, even if you try to create a safe space for them, could result in injury or death.Contact hotels and motels outside of your immediate area to see if they take pets.Ask friends, relatives and others outside of the affected area whether they could shelter your animal.