Orange County is celebrating the Orlo Vista flood mitigation efforts after the recent hurricanes.
Two years ago, the Orlo Vista area experienced devastating flooding during Hurricane Ian. Orange County government began work on a major flood mitigation project, expanding the capacity of retention ponds and improving pump systems in the community.
The local Public Works team worked around the clock to monitor conditions before, during and after the storm, making sure systems remained operational during Hurricane Milton, according to Orange County.
This image comparison of 2022 vs. 2024 on West Washington Street was also shared:
The excavation almost tripled the capacity of the three connected ponds that overflowed during Hurricanes Irma and Ian, flooding nearby Orlo Vista homes. The ponds are 10 feet deeper than before the excavation started and better prepared to handle heavy rain.
“With this excavation, we’ve created millions of gallons of additional storage for stormwater run-off,” Liliana Ramirez, assistant project manager, said earlier in the year. “As a result, residents and their homes are going to be much better protected than in previous years.”
The Orlando area flood mitigation project’s goal was to make the ponds capable of handling a 100-year storm or 14.4 inches of water in three days in Central Florida. Future weather events could surpass a 100-year storm, but those occurrences are extremely rare.
In addition to increasing the capacity of the ponds, Orange County also improved the efficiency of the pumps that connect the ponds so when a severe weather system approaches, the level of water in the ponds can be lowered to help handle any sudden influx of stormwater.
“We want to make the residents of Orlo Vista, and all flood-prone neighborhoods in the region, safer from these kinds of heavy rain events,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said earlier in the year. “This type of excavation will most certainly make a difference and protect the surrounding homes from potential flood damage.”
And by the way don’t celebrate too much because if my people wouldn’t have dug a trench to the lakes in the middle of the hurricane it would’ve flooded our whole house for the third time.It did flood in Orlo Vista my room my brother’s room our neighbors car it was at our doorstep when they went across the street to dig a trench so it could drain so don’t celebrate too much.
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