SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – With rain in the forecast this week, Seminole County has opened up two sandbag sites for people who need them.
A post from the county on social media says that emergency management is keeping an eye on elevated water levels on the St. Johns River and “out of an abundance of caution,” sandbag sites are now open at the following locations:
- Old Geneva Volunteer Fire Station; 215 2nd St., Geneva
- 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Unstaffed, bring your own shovels
- City of Sanford - Sanford Public Works; 800 W. Fulton St., Sanford
- 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Unstaffed, bring your own shovels
[WATCH BELOW: Here’s how to properly fill and position your sandbags. Yes, a tarp is involved]
Our News 6 team visited the Old Geneva Volunteer Fire Station on Wednesday and met Bill Bibb as he was filling up several bags. Bibb explained that he lives at the bottom of a hill on a paved road, and water flows down his driveway.
“So, as long as I can bypass it, I’m good,” Bibb said. “A few sandbag on my doors and stuff helps out. Over time they deteriorate, so you got to replace them.
People who live along the St. Johns River or Lake Harney are no strangers to flooding. They’ve seen water rise to catastrophic levels before and while they know this week will be nothing like that, they still know they have to prepared for whatever water may flow their way.
“As long as we direct the water, it flows on down to a canal and doesn’t cause any damage to my home, but the folks out on the lake always have problems,” Bibb said.
Models from the National Water Prediction Service show the St. Johns River above Lake Harney is already at action stage, and it is expected to stay at that level through the weekend.
[WATCH BELOW: Flooding threatens homes along St. Johns River in Astor]
News 6 Chief Meteorologist Candace Campos said the rain across Central Florida over the past couple of days has fallen right along the St. Johns from Brevard County all the way up Seminole County and into Flagler County.
Candace also showcased how the wind is limiting the river’s ability to drain as waters continue to rise.
“The St. Johns tries to empty itself out and drain out in the Atlantic further north up by Jacksonville. The problem is, right now, we have these strong onshore winds, pretty strong at times,” Candace said. “That basically slows the draining process.”
Candace said the combination of runoff still accumulating days after the rain, the wind and high tide are all keeping the river level at action stage in parts of Seminole County for the foreseeable future.
“We are also talking about King tides. That’s when a couple times a year, the tides get higher than normal, and that’s also pushing more of the water back into the St. Johns,” Candace said. “And then as we head into the end of the week, we could add more rain to areas along the coastline.”