Raleigh's low-lying homeowners urged to seek higher ground ahead of Hurricane Florence

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Shari Davis spent Wednesday evening locking down her property; literally locking it down.

She strapped her trash cans to trees so they don't fly or float away when Hurricane Florence strikes.

Davis' home on stilts in this typically marshy oasis between Atlantic Avenue and Wake Forest Road sits smack dab in the Crabtree Creek floodplain.

MORE: Full coverage of Hurricane Florence

She's seen her share of bad floods.

"This is the water line from April 2017," Davis said, pointing to the black line she marked on one of the tall wooden stilts her home sits on.

That 48-hour-long downpour in 2017 dropped 8 inches of rain and left her neighborhood submerged.

With Hurricane Florence threatening equally dramatic flooding, Raleigh firefighters went door to door Wednesday, passing out fliers and warning residents in the city's low-lying neighborhoods that it could be dangerous to stay; to consider seeking higher ground.

"As long as we're prepared, I feel a lot better," Davis said. "This will be my fourth flood, though."

RELATED: How will Hurricane Florence impact Raleigh?

So Davis is preparing for the worst -- or at least the worst she's seen.

She's building new shelves in her oversized crawlspace, 55 inches above the floor -- high enough for her things to be out of harm's way. At least she hopes.

When we asked Davis if she planned to seek higher ground, she replied, "I feel safe here. I'm OK."

If you didn't get a knock on your door, a flier or a phone call Wednesday from the city, here's a link to Raleigh's floodplain map. You can see whether your street is in the danger zone.