ORLANDO, FLA. — It was one year ago when Hurricane Irma hit Florida with strong winds and heavy rain, causing areas to flood throughout our areas.
- Orlo Vista one of the most impacted areas after Irma
- More than 200 evacuated, dozens of homes flooded
- Some residents added to FEMA flood zone list since Irma
One of the most impacted areas was the Orlo Vista community in Orange County. More than 200 people were evacuated, and dozens of homes were heavily flooded.
Now the neighborhood has been brought back to life with people renovating and moving back in, but it hasn't been an easy process for homeowners who lost everything.
"In this room, the water was right here. It came through the windows and everything. We couldn't keep anything," said Calvin Williams, an Orlo Vista resident.
Grateful for the renovations, Williams paid $54,000. He says he’s a bit worried the flooding could happen again.
Since Hurricane Irma, some residents have been added to the FEMA flood zone list to apply for insurance.
As for Orange County, they hope to dig these 40-acre retention ponds in the neighborhood deeper, because they are the reason for the flooding, but doing that and lowering water pumps will cost $10 million, money they are asking FEMA to help pay for.
The county won't find out until next June if they'll get the funds.