District staff help prevent Seminole County neighborhood from flooding

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District employees prepare to deploy pumps in Seminole County
District employees prepare to deploy pumps in Seminole County

District Operations and Maintenance team members Quay Hix (front) and Harman Bansil (back) prepare to deploy pumps in Seminole County. Dale Doolittle and Travis Coston (not pictured) were also onsite to assist.

PALATKA, Fla., Oct. 2, 2022 — A decorative wall was all that was standing between flood water and a small community in Longwood until two crews from the St. Johns River Water Management District deployed to assist Seminole County in diverting water away from the homes.

District staff are draining the water into a retention basin approximately 180 feet away using two six-inch pumps, protecting nearby residents from a fate that so many across the state recently experienced, having several feet of flood waters enter their home.

“As soon as the storm passed, District staff were eager to assist our local and regional partners in their recovery efforts,” said St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director Mike Register. “I’m proud of their work and we will continue to provide any resources possible to help state recovery efforts.”

Local governments are the primary entities responsible for emergency responses during storms, such as implementing state-of-emergency declarations, evacuations and rescue efforts during flood-related disasters. However, if additional resources are needed, local authorities can contact the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s State Emergency Team (SERT) who is tasked with providing disaster assistance to the residents across the state. In this case, the District had the equipment needed and were able to immediately respond to the request.

Visit the District’s website at www.sjrwmd.com/localgovernments/flooding/ for information and links to flood statements and warnings, river stages, and local government emergency contacts.

For more information about state recovery efforts, please visit the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s website at www.floridadisaster.org/sert/emergency-support-functions/.