New Yorkers are being urged to stay alert Tuesday as a flood watch is in effect across the city.

Many neighborhoods are bracing for high water levels, especially Coney Island.

News 12 cameras captured people preparing for potential floodwaters by placing sandbags outside their basement doors.

The city is telling residents who live in basement apartments to be ready to move to higher ground if heavy rain begins.

The city is also warning about multiple rounds of rain and thunderstorms across the five boroughs Tuesday into Wednesday, with the strongest storms and greatest severe threat between 6 and 11 p.m. Tuesday.

There are also high winds expected and the city says the possibility of a tornado is not ruled out. A tornado watch is in effect until 9 p.m.

For many residents in Coney Island, the heavy rain is the biggest concern, plus a number of sinkholes forming along West 33rd Street.

“There’s just a big hole in the ground. You can see right through," Potoula Stavropolous, a local teacher, said, "Cars are going through all the time, children are walking by. The city needs to take care of these things.”

“Can you imagine a wheel of this vehicle…goes inside?” Adil Hussein, a driver, said. "Something has to be done.”

The city is urging New Yorkers to go inside if there’s thunder, heavy rain, or strong winds, and to never walk or drive through floodwaters.