ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County saw almost 14 inches of rain in 24 hours during Hurricane Ian, according to county officials, which led to historic flooding in some areas.

Officials with the Public Works Department told Orange County commissioners in a recent meeting that their systems can handle 11 to 12 inches at the most. They said low-lying homes in Orlando’s Orlo Vista area flooded when nearby retention ponds overflowed from the storm.

Crews pumped approximately 14 million gallons of water from the Orlo Vista pump station ahead of Hurricane Ian. After the storm, they pumped 250 million gallons while trying to bring the water back to its normal level, according to an Orange County Public Works Department spokesperson.

Robert Jenkins was one of 271 people saved from his flooded home on Sept. 29, by Orange County Fire Rescue.

“Next thing you know, the water started coming in faster and faster, and we couldn’t save everything,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins and his family were also rescued when the Orlo Vista area flooded from Hurricane Irma several years ago, but he said this time, the flooding was far worse. So now, instead of returning to the house he was renting on Hope Circle, he and his family are looking for somewhere else to live.

“I can’t put my family through this again, another time, a third time,” he told Spectrum News. “I got a feeling that (flooding is) bound to happen again if they don’t fix the problem real soon.”

Spurred by Hurricane Irma in 2017, Orange County officials said they had plans for a $10 million drainage removal project. Back in January, Congresswoman Val Demings secured FEMA funds to cover 75% of the project, which would involve excavating three existing ponds to increase their depth and capacity, as well as constructing a new pump station.

Construction was supposed to start in November and last through February 2024, but reached a roadblock before Hurricane Ian due to increased supply and labor costs, according to Darrell Moody, public relations and outreach specialist for the Public Works Department. 

The lowest bid received in late August was $11.5 million over the project’s budget, he said, so the county submitted a request for a project budget increase to FEMA. That request was submitted about two weeks before Hurricane Ian.

It’s unclear how Hurricane Ian may affect the project, but Moody said in an email to Spectrum News that construction of the project would continue as soon as the county resolves the funding issue.

Even though Jenkins won’t be around for that project, he says he hopes the flooding issues are addressed.