While Hurricane Milton did not bring the citywide flooding devastation seen during 2022’s Tropical Storm Ian, some New Smyrna Beach residents are facing the same situation as the city continues the recovery process.
Despite less flooding from Milton’s 13 inches of rain, neighborhoods north of State Road 44 on the west side of the city, such as Ellison Acres and Pine Island, were some of the areas that saw more localized flooding.
Many of those residents relayed their struggles during the City Commission meeting Tuesday night, when city officials brought numbers and updates related to Milton’s effects and the ongoing recovery efforts.
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‘I’m tired of flooding’
Cori Kish used to live on Wayne Avenue, part of which is south of the Pine Island neighborhood. She talked about what she saw as “ongoing delays in addressing the flooding that has repeatedly devastated our community.”
“We have been dealing with this since at least 2017 with Hurricane Irma,” Kish said.
She said she is worried by the fact that many ongoing stormwater projects in the city, which include dredging part of the Turnbull Creek, are not expected to be finished until at least 2026.
“That’s nearly a decade of inaction on a known problem,” Kish said.
Amanda Martin, a resident of Pine Island, said this is the second time her home has flooded.
“I’m tired of flooding,” Martin said. “I have two little children, and I don’t want to go through this again. We have taken all the precautions we can, but until bigger changes are made, I’m out of options.”
Tonya Sonier said she wasn’t personally affected by flooding this time, but said it was difficult to watch family and friends suffer from the rising waters.
"It’s very sad to see what’s happening with citizens around us,” Sonier said.
She called on the city to work on a stormwater master plan to help minimize flooding in the future.
The city’s current stormwater master plan is about halfway done, former city manager Khalid Resheidat told The News-Journal in August .
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Cynthia Harris, a resident on South Glencoe Road, said residents on the west side of the city, who live close to State Road 44, face constant flooding episodes every year.
“People are rebuilding and rebuilding after these storms,” Harris said. “And it doesn’t even have to be a hurricane, just regular rainstorms.”
What stormwater projects are underway in NSB?
City Engineer Kyle Fegley provided an overview of the stormwater improvement and dredging projects underway in the city.
One of those projects involves drainage improvements in the Corbin Park neighborhood, south of State Road 44.
It will involve upgrading the area, which has grown in population over the last few decades, with a newly designed stormwater system, as it currently “lacks the basic means to capture and convey runoff in a defined manner,” according to Fegley.
The city is working with residents through some recent setbacks related to access to right-of-way areas in parts of the neighborhood to install the infrastructure, he added.
The cost of the project is about $8 million, most of which the city is hoping to cover through grants. The city has applied for a grant from the county’s Transform386 program .
On the historic westside neighborhood, the city is working on plans to make drainage improvements, Fegley said.
“These plans are about 90% complete at this point,” he said, adding that the city expects the design to be completed and construction work to begin by mid-2025.
The project furthest along in its process involves stormwater improvements to a segment of North Atlantic Avenue .
With its design phase complete, it will involve “an extensive underground stormwater management exfiltration system” consisting of a pipe encased “with porous rock in order to capture, treat and convey runoff,” according to Fegley.
The majority of the project’s $2.1 million price tag have been covered by state grants and funds, with the city’s contribution amounting to approximately $400,000.
The Turnbull Canal dredging project is also underway near the Corbin Park neighborhood, south of State Road 44. The city is also working on dredging parts of the canal north of the thoroughfare.
City has 125,000 cubic yards of debris to collect
David Ray, the city’s maintenance operations director, also updated the commission and residents on the city’s response to flooded areas, debris cleanup and pickup, and more.
The city saw a large amount of debris resulting from Milton’s winds; the storm produced sustained winds of 85 mph with registered gusts of about 99 mph, according to New Smyrna Beach Utilities.
These winds resulted in 125,000 cubic yards of debris, which means, given the fact that a full-sized dump truck has a capacity of 10-16 cubic yards, collection will take some time , according to the city.
That is why the city opened a drop-off site Oct. 13 for residents to dispose of their debris if they are able to. According to Ray, more than 400 residents have taken their vegetative and household material debris to the site at 495 Industrial Park Ave.
The city’s debris hauler company, Phillips and Jordan, Inc., began collecting debris Monday.
“We split the city into four zones, so we have the debris hauler trucks and our truck going in every single zone in the city to methodically go through every street,” Ray said.
Challenge of pumping flood water
Mayor Fred Cleveland asked Ray about the status of city drains and pumps, given that “some (parts of the city) that are just still horrifically flooded and wet.”
Ray said the greatest challenge for city staff is where to pump the water away from the flooded area or neighborhood.
“We could potentially cure one problem but flood another area,” Ray said. “(The challenge) is really finding a spot we can pump the water to.”
Commissioner Valli Perrine said Milton's 13 inches of rain were not the only factor in contributing to some of the flooded areas.
Ray said the city had already received between 11 and 13 inches of rain in September.
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“If you think about it and add up all the rain we had prior to this, the ground was mushy everywhere all over Florida; it’s not just our area,” Perrine said, adding that she was out helping to clean some city drains ahead of the storm. “I’m grateful that (Milton) didn’t hit us head-on like the other coast, but it was really scary.”
Cleveland, Perrine and other city commissioners praised Ray’s and the city staff’s efforts to minimize the impacts in the city.
The City Commission meets again Nov. 12 for a special meeting at 5 p.m. and a regular meeting at 6:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Despite lesser impact than Ian, NSB residents ask for solutions after Milton flooding
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