Selma and Dallas County officials are playing a waiting game with Tropical Storm Karen.

As the storm inches closer to the gulf coast, county engineer Coosa Jones said his staff is making preparations for the storm.

“We are in a wait and see mode,” Jones said. “We are concerned, but we don’t know what the severity of the storm will be.”

Jones said some areas in the county are prone to flooding, but he isn’t overly concerned about the threat of a flood because Dallas County hasn’t seen rain in several days.

Selma officials are also waiting to see how Karen might affect Selma.

Chief of Police William Riley said the most important precaution anyone can take during a severe storm is to stay inside, but Riley said he would do his best to keep police officers on the streets for resident’s safety.

“Right now we are making sure our generator is functioning properly and that all of our vehicles are gassed up and ready to go,” Riley said. “With these hurricanes you don’t really know until they hit land. The first thing is to make sure that we get good information on what is going on with the weather and where it will land.”

Selma Mayor George Evans also expressed uncertainly about how Karen could affect Selma.

“We have never really faced a hurricane,” Evans said. “Tornadoes have been the only real thing we have had to worry about. We are blessed that we are so far away from the coast”

Prolonged periods of rain could bring flooding to the city, Evans said. He said areas of the city that are east of Broad Street would be the most susceptible to flooding.