Ahead of Dorian, crews work to prevent flooding in Orla Vista neighborhood

Orange County Public Works prepares for Dorian

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County emergency management leaders said they are monitoring Hurricane Dorian and its possible impacts and crews are ready to respond when necessary.

On Thursday, they were being proactive by draining ponds in an effort to prevent flooding. 

Public works crews were putting in new pumps and opening up many floodgates in the Orlo Vista neighborhood, a community that saw widespread flooding following Hurricane Irma back in 2017.

Orange County leaders said they’ve been proactive, accessing and draining spots prone to flooding in select hot spots.

Meanwhile, Orange County residents are preparing for the storm.

Thursday, gas stations all over Orange County were experiencing long lines. 

"We gassing up for the storm basically, so we can have enough gas over the weekend," said Shakira Riggins.  

Riggins said that Dorian is no laughing matter and she wants her family to be ready. 

"You definitely have to start early because it’s long lines everywhere," said Riggins.

 Ryan Countryman agreed, saying, "I was running low [on gas], so I figured I better hit it before everyone else does in the next couple of days."


Travis Munnerlyn said he's also taking Hurricane Dorian seriously. He’s evacuating from his home after seeing widespread flooding at his Orlo Vista home following Hurricane Irma.  

"We’re going over to our daughters we’re not staying here I don’t care what they do," said Munnerlyn. "Pure hell, that whole house has to be redone inside and it’s still not finished, now, here we go again."

Many homes remain vacant in the Orlo Vista community two years after Hurricane Irma.

Leslie Rokood and his family had to be rescued by firefighters. He’s also taking no chances.

"I’m ready. You just have to prepare," Rookwood said. "If I can’t stay here I’ll just have to move, it’s life."
 
Orange County leaders told us in a statement Thursday, "Public Works is assessing all of our Storm Water Pump Stations to ensure there are no problems with them if needed. We are closely monitoring the approaching storm and the stations listed below have already been run proactively to create storage ahead of the storm."
 
Officials said the areas listed below are flooding hot spots:

No shelters are open as of Thursday afternoon.


About the Author:

Jerry Askin is an Atlanta native who came to News 6 in March 2018 with an extensive background in breaking news.

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