As Hurricane Sandy threatens the East Coast, officials across the coast are getting ready for the pre-Halloween hybrid storm and the potential range of problems it could cause.

Friday morning, Hurricane Sandy was near the Bahamas. It's expected to move up the coast and collide with a winter storm moving across the country and frigid air from Canada.

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The hurricane is forecast to turn inland around Delaware, but it could still hit as far north as New York. Forecasters have said there is a good chance much of the coast will get hit with gale force winds, heavy rain, flooding and maybe even snow.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday that wherever the storm comes ashore, there will be 10 inches of rain and extreme storm surges. Up to 2 feet of snow could fall on parts of eastern West Virginia, with lighter snow in parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Locally, officials with the Ohio Department of Transportation said there could be problems in the Ohio Valley if the area actually gets the 3 to 5 inches of rain that's possible Tuesday into Wednesday.

John Petrisko, ODOT manager, said his crews are preparing for the storm and potential problems.

"We've got all our chainsaws ready and our chipper basically we're waiting for Monday, we'll get a briefing from the National Weather Service as to an extent of what the storm is going to bring," Petrisko said.

He said it's still a waiting game as of Friday afternoon because it's difficult to predict if the Ohio Valley will get hit with a lot of rain or even snow. While snow trucks are being inspected for winter on Monday, Petrisko said crews aren't expecting to use them anytime soon because the ground is too warm for snow to stick to roads.

But, he said crews will be out if the water starts to rise.

"We'll play it by ear. If we have to have all 20 members of our crew out, we'll have them out. We'll deal with them as it happens, and you know, Mother Nature, you just never know what she's going to do," he said.

Petrisko also reminded residents to take precautions.

"It's (ODOT's) responsibility to maintain the ditches, but it's the landowner's responsibility to clean the drain pipes under the driveway. So now would be a good time to look into that. See if you have a leak problem that could pose an issue for your house or the highways," he said.

Officials in eastern West Virginia are reminding residents to prepare for the worst as storms approach as forecasters expect wind damage, power outages and flooding where Sandy hits. Officials in that part of the state suggest having enough nonperishable food, water and supplies like batteries, hand-crank radios and flashlights on hand for themselves and their pets for at least a week.

Stay with Severe Weather Team 9, WTOV9.com and WTOV9 Mobile for continuing coverage. For the latest updates on Hurricane Sandy, visit our special hurricane and tropical storm section.