A retired couple are fearing the worst flooding in over a decade with heavy rainfall set to fall on Thursday.
Lesley and John Parker, from Burrowbridge in Somerset, say they have installed flood defences, concerned water will come "straight up through the floor".
Their preparations follow Storm Chandra, which brought disruption and flooding across the UK on Tuesday, prompting Somerset Council to declare a major incident.
A key route through Burrowbridge is already shut, and the Environment Agency's nearby pumps run at "full capacity" to drain water.
The heavy rainfall forecast for Thursday has left the Parkers and their neighbours fearing the worst.
Mr and Mrs Parker said the conditions are the scariest they have seen since their home was devastated by flooding in 2014, when 3ft of water inside the house forced them to evacuate.
The couple said they have been mostly “left to (their) own devices”, and believe the Environment Agency has done “too little too late” to save their home of 14 years.
Mr Parker said: “The thing was, in 2014, the whole process was much slower, it was almost like slow motion.
“Whereas this has happened so fast that nothing has actually been set up yet.”
Despite covering the doors and vents with sandbags, the couple said the water came straight up through the floor during the last serious flood.
Mr Parker added: “The water came in one afternoon, we thought we might survive, went to bed and got up in the morning and there was a foot or so of water in the ground floor.
“The insurance company arranged a hotel, and we went to the hotel and stayed there for a couple of weeks.
“When the water had gone, which was five weeks after it came in, we came back… We lived in a caravan on the drive from the middle of March to November.”
On Wednesday, the couple installed a flood barrier provided by their local rotary club and stuffed sandbags outside the entrances to their home.
Mrs Parker said: “There’s been a few sort of hairy moments, but at the moment… with the forecast, the rate and rise of the water is the quickest it’s ever been.
“We’ve had a few scares, but this is probably the scariest, and I was told on Monday I would be under water today.”
Somerset Council said an estimated 50 properties had been affected by flooding across Ilminster, West Coker, Taunton, Mudford and West Camel in the wake of Storm Chandra.
Council leader Bill Revans said: “The weather forecast remains challenging so we will be working with colleagues in the emergency services to ensure we are prepared should the situation continue to deteriorate.”
There were no Met Office weather warnings in place on Wednesday, but yellow warnings for rain have been issued for the south west of England on Thursday.
Alan Sandwell, who lives close to the Saltmoor pumping station in Burrowbridge, said he was promised his house would “never flood” when he moved in two months ago.
“You never say never, so we’ve got precautions coming tomorrow if we need it,” he added.
“I’m concerned with the fact that there always seems to be stuff happening, always too late.
“It’s like shutting the gate when the horse has bolted.”
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “Our incident response has been ahead of the curve – not behind it.
“Staff have been working hard 24/7 to protect people and property.
“Additional pumps have been set up ahead of agreed timing and we pumped down water levels ahead of Storm Ingrid to mitigate its impact.
“We can’t pump water into already full rivers. But as soon as they drop we are prepared to maximise that window of opportunity.”
The Environment Agency said a rain gauge in Fulwood, Somerset, had recorded the wettest seven-day period in at least 30 years last week.
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