SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Two years ago, Hurricane Ian struck Florida. One of the most hard-hit areas during this storm was in Geneva.
“This road was under three feet of water so the entire road this whole area was flooded,” said Rusty Hurst, a local resident. “Flooded about half of my property and never made it to the house thank goodness.”
Hurst and his son, Hunter, remember having to deal with massive flooding after Hurricane Ian at their home on Retreat Road in Geneva.
Hurst explained last year, crews were able to complete a dry pond for water retention not far from his home in an effort to improve flooding in the area. New pipes were added to existing ditches in the area during this initiative.
The project was completed in November 2023 due to a collaboration between FEMA and Seminole County, according to officials.
Hurst said they haven’t seen any major flooding since Ian, so he’s waiting to see how the new system will work during a storm.
“A lot of the drainage from Geneva comes down this way and heads towards the river this way so they call it set retention I don’t know how much water it will actually hold before it goes underneath the roads,” Hurst said.
Despite a tropical system potentially heading toward Florida in the coming days, Hurst said he is not too worried but will keep an eye out for any changes.
“I don’t proceed the river getting that high. It depends on where it makes landfall and how much rain it dumps down south because everything flows north on the St. John’s so that’s what’s going to determine what happens here,” Hurst said.