SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Seminole County officials are working on a project to prevent future flooding in parts of the county that typically sees flooding after heavy rainfall and hurricanes like Ian and Nicole.
The project is part of the county’s hazard mitigation program where the county identifies hazard areas and when they receive FEMA money, those dollars are earmarked for those projects to prevent future flooding.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
The project at Mullet Lake Park in Geneva was already planned before Ian and Hurricane devastated parts of the county.
This is one of several projects planned in the Geneva area.
Crews are busy on this drainage project on Retreat Road, just off Lake Mullet Park Road.
Read: Sheriff: ‘Cowardly scumbags’ spread anti-Semitic flyers throughout Volusia County
Crews are clearing off the property to dig a dry pond for water retention and upsize existing ditches.
“They will be re-established, they will be slightly wider slightly deeper not by much, because right now they have a lot of settlement,” said Project Manager Ron Ramos.
“We have the Seminole County resiliency working group, and it’s made up of all the seven cities. We have citizens that sit on that board as well as other organizations, nonprofits, and we look at mitigating across the county for all different types of hazards,” said Seminole County Emergency Operations Manager Alan Harris.
Read: Prosecutors downgrade charges against Alec Baldwin for ‘Rust’ shooting
Harris said drainage projects are planned for Sanford, the Wekiva Basin and even in the Winter Springs area along Lake Howell and g creek.
“After a disaster, FEMA puts funds back into the community to help us mitigate for future disasters. So, some of that money will be used for flood remediation projects, stormwater projects, and in some cases, potentially, elevation of homes and demolition of homes,” Harris said.
Read: Lake County woman cashes in after winning $1M from a Florida Lottery scratch-off game
It’s not a quick fix, once FEMA decides how much money the county will get, most projects take about a year and a half to two years before they are completed.
Harris said they are still waiting to find out how much FEMA will give them for this latest round.
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2023 Cox Media Group
