Wekiva Village residents see action from the county after flooding complaints

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APOPKA, Fla. — Neighbors in Apopka are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, almost two weeks after the storm.

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They say nearby ponds are overflowing, bringing water into their community.

They reached out to Channel 9 for help.

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“After we spoke on Tuesday, we found out there was a commissioners meeting on Wednesday, so we showed up - about 20 of us - unannounced. We just inserted ourselves into the meeting,” said Amber Barrick, who first raised the concerns about flooding in her community. “We can now breathe a sigh of relief.”

Barrick has lived in Apopka for several years. She says the flooding problems have only worsened over time. She lives at Wekiva Village, where residents are still struggling with the aftermath of Milton.

Read: ‘Comfort Stations’ opened in Volusia County to help residents recovering from Hurricane Milton

Channel 9 visited this community last week.

Neighbors voiced their concerns about elected officials who they said were not taking steps to help. Days after our crew visited the area, residents started to see some improvement.

“They put this tiger damn, which is a temporary solution, and it will stay here for god knows how long,” said Barrick. “The city has been consistently monitoring the water and that’s preventing it to come into our homes.”

Read: American Red Cross: Help people affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene

The water levels still have a long way to go before things get back to normal, but residents are glad to see progress. “Something needed to happen, but we are so grateful,” said Barrick. “This never should’ve happened, but we are thankful that action was taken eight or nine days later.

Because of the pumps and the work that’s now underway, residents who spent several days without power now have their power back on.

Some of them were staying out with friends and family, but now are back home.


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