ST. CLOUD, Fla. – The rainy weather in the summertime season is nothing new to Florida, but what is becoming a more persistent problem is flooding.
“We’ve had cars over here on 11th Street get stuck because of the heavy rain we do get,” said Kristina Cuevas, a resident of St. Cloud.
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Cuevas said that rainwater filled the streets near her home last week and she is worried it will happen again this weekend due to the potential tropical storm.
“We’ve had in this house floodwater come from the ground into the house. We’re very concerned about flooding here,” Cuevas said.
St. Cloud and Osceola County officials are making efforts to try to help residents prepare for the severe weather. One of the most prominent examples is by dumping loads of sand so that residents can make sandbags to help protect their homes.
One of the city’s sandbag distribution locations is at Osceola Heritage Park, which will be accessible to residents over the weekend. To see a listing of several different sandbag distributions across Central Florida, visit ClickOrlando.
“We do want people to take their steps now to see what their risk is for flooding,” said Andrew Sullivan, a spokesperson for the city. “Officials are monitoring this coming tropical weather. We don’t believe we’ll see that great of volume in that short of period. We’re enthusiastic our stormwater system should be able to handle it.”
However, Sullivan noted there are several areas within the city that are historically prone to flooding, which can be located using the city’s “flood zone” identification tool.
Sullivan said the city has received federal funds to help with stormwater improvements in those high-risk areas, helped secured by Rep. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee. While the city is still in the design phase currently, officials hope to begin construction sometime soon.
For more information about storm safety or how to manage flooding, visit Osceola County’s emergency management website.