PALM BAY, Fla. — Brevard County officials say their public works and emergency management teams are preparing as heavy storms are expected across Central Florida. 

And with potential flooding being a very real possibility, one resident is gearing up to help Palm Bay drivers who get stuck in the rising waters.

Alex Hendricks, a volunteer firefighter, is frequently out on the roads during major storms. He preaches the age-old adage of: Turn around, don't drown.

But for the people who don't heed those words, Hendricks will be helping them by hauling cars out of standing water with his Jeep.

“Ninety percent of what I do, I do for free,” said Hendricks, who runs Alex’s Off-Road Rescue. “Especially when it comes down to flooding and that type of stuff. I’m more concerned about people’s safety than I am about making money off something like that.” 

Hendrick’s has been towing stuck cars for a few years now. It started back when he lived in North Carolina and would assist people during snow storms. He says water, however, can be a different type of beast.

“You don’t know what’s under that water,” he said, adding that it is easy to hit trash cans, basketball hoops, or any number of unseen hazards.

Brevard County officials were also asking residents to take necessary steps to prepare themselves, and their properties, for the weekend. They also encouraged residents to make sure any outdoor holiday decorations are secure.

“For those lights, you don’t necessarily want to have any ends around. You want to make sure everything’s tied down,” Brevard County public information officer Rachel Horst said. “And especially with those inflatables, they can be taken by the wind pretty easily.”

Brevard County officials encourage residents to sign up for their emergency alerts by texting BREVARDEOC to 888777.

Residents can also sign up for localized alerts specific to your address by visiting the AlertBrevard website.