Ocean City getting ready for Hurricane Sandy

OCEAN CITY, Md. - The wind continues to strengthen, and the rain has started in Ocean City.

"Sandy" continues its march up the East Coast, the ocean is already high up onto the beach.

And when the storm surge hits, it could bring four to eight feet of water with it.

"We're ready, as well as the community should be ready for Sandy, said Joe Theobald, Ocean City's emergency services director.

Valerie Mason spent a portion of her day getting ready- protecting her store.  Mason sells new and used books in the low-lying downtown area.

"No we would not like it to get wet, she said.

Mason says this would have been a slow weekend anyway- but Sandy made it even slower.

"As long as we don't lose our books and we just can't tell can we," she said.

The only question now is just how high will the water get.

"Not this intersection but the next one up will usually flood and this one never did. But it came half-way up the block for the last hurricane and it may come farther up the block for this one," Mason said.

Unlike last year's hurricane Irene- there has been no order for a mandatory evacuation of the town.

But officials are hoping most visitors and residents will use common sense, and find a safer place to be.

This is going to be both a wind and a water event," Theobald said. "We are going to see some storm surge we are going to see some significant flooding downtown where the areas are succeptible to it."