WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. – People who live near Gee Creek are once again worried about flooding as Tropical Storm Helene makes its way to Florida.
Two weeks ago, people who live along Gee Creek in Winter Springs were worried about water levels rising after heavy rain in the area.
Water levels have gone down since then, but neighbors like Sal Scaglione, who lives on Holiday Lane along Gee Creek, said he is still worried.
“That’s our biggest fear is the flooding,” Scaglione said. “Winds and other stuff is not that high on our list – it’s the creek right behind us.”
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We caught up with Scaglione right before he was heading out to get sandbags.
“We’re allowed 15 sandbags,” Scaglione said. “It’s not going to do much if we have the flooding that we had with Ian, but at least we’ll be able to protect something.”
Scaglione’s neighbor, Danny Tucker, said he thinks most of the neighbors are still in shock from the flooding they experienced during Hurricane Ian.
“It’s intense not knowing what is going to happen, you know we have to worry about the rain,” Tucker said. “We have dogs, everybody has pets, what do we do then? We start prepping and looking for higher ground I guess, but other than that, I guess we kind of wait it out and see what happens.”
Public Communications Officer for the City of Winter Springs, Matthew Reeser said they’ve been focusing on areas of concern like Gee Creek.
“We’ve done a number of projects, streams clean out, sediment clean outs already,” Reeser said. “It’s just a matter of keep watching that and making sure that everything is flowing the way it should.”
Reeser said the stormwater crew started work early Tuesday morning to make sure the city is prepared for Helene.
“They’ve been checking storm drains, storm structures around the city, making sure they’re clear of debris, checking on the creeks and stream crossings just to make sure that there’s nothing that would impede the flow of water,” Reeser said.
The city of Winter Springs also opened up a sandbag site at Central Winds Park in Winter Springs.
Winter Springs officials said the self-serve sandbag operation will be open on Sept. 24 and Sept. 25 from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. at Central Winds Park located at 1000 Central Winds Drive.
Residents are limited to 15 sandbags and you must bring your own shovel and gloves.
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