KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A Kissimmee senior community that had to evacuate hundreds of residents due to severe flooding from Hurricane Irma aren’t taking chances with Hurricane Dorian.

They’re making sure they don’t get flooded out again.

Ellen Edmeades was one of more than 350 seniors evacuated from their homes at Good Samaritan Society Kissimmee Village in 2017. Cars and even homes were under water.

Now Edmeades is stocking up her pantry with canned goods and collecting water to use for washing and flushing the toilet.

She’s not taking any chances because she pretty much lost her home during Hurricane Irma. Edmeades even waited 10 months for it to be rebuilt.

“You could look from here to the end of the building, because all the walls were down — everything. It was totally gutted,” she explained.

Administrators with Good Samaritan Village said they are in close contact with the Osceola County Emergency Operations Center, as they are specifically paying close attention to the river gages in the area.

Billy Litton, Director for Osceola County Emergency Management, said, “Right now we are fortunate the capacity level is low in our area, so we’ve got the capacity to take on water, but we will still be maintaining our water gages and our areas here in our lakes and streams.”

Good Samaritan administrators said they’re also making sure all drains are cleared out to prevent flooding. They have also established an evacuation plan for the safety of all their residents, in case it’s ordered.

And we can also include part of their plans that they shared with me:

Good Samaritan Society Kissimmee Village’s five-day planning process includes:

  • Ensure all drains are clear
  • Food/water supplies are fully stocked
  • Reinforced shutters installed on windows secured
  • All unsecured items placed inside facility storage
  • Sand bags filled and installed in designated locations to prevent flooding
  • Emergency generators in place to provide power in compliance with State regulations
  • One-call system activated to effectively notify employees and residents of upcoming storm conditions and evacuation procedures
  • Closed circuit television system to broadcast messages to employees and residents throughout the campus
  • Satellite phones are in place to maintain open communications in the event regular telephone/cell phone services are disabled
  • Bus fleet is on standby to transport residents off campus if needed