Local woman says flooded house is a result of Orange County storm drain

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County woman said the house she inherited flooded during a major storm.

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And even in daily rain, she watches her yard and driveway fill up with water.

She said the county’s storm drain is causing the problem, and she has looked for a long-term fix before another hurricane hits.

Nine Investigates contacted the county to try to get her some relief.

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Christine Townsend’s parents bought the home in 1978 and left it to their daughter when they died.

“This was their dream home, and it’s just been an incredible neighborhood, an incredible community, and their dream was for myself and my brother was to be able to carry on this family legacy,” Townsend said.

But what was a dream is also a nightmare.

“There has been a huge problem with the storm runoff water coming onto the property and coming into the home,” she said.

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She worries that same though every time it rains and she dreads hurricane season.

Townsend believes it’s the county’s storm drain system since it’s the only one in the neighborhood, and it might not be designed to handle the volume.

She said her parents worked with the county to fix some, but nothing seems to work permanently.

A few weeks ago, Orange County came out to dig the area to give the water a place to go.

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Townsend said getting a long-term fix hadn’t happened after all these years.

“I’m hoping to get some leadership and some help because this is beyond my ability to take care of and just to preserve my family home,” she said.

Orange County told Channel 9 that the Roads and Drainage Division is investigating the issue. They cleaned the pipes to ensure there were no obstructions.

The maintenance unit is now compiling the complaint logs and work orders for the area, which will be provided to a consultant to start an evaluation.

That should happen in a couple of months.

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