ORLANDO, Fla. — Even before the hurricanes, all it took was an afternoon storm to flood some of the streets around Camping World Stadium recently.
“As the rain was coming down, I started freaking out because I thought my car was going to get flooded,” said Thao Tran, who experienced the flooding while on her way to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Sept. 15. “So I drove into this area, and it was a little bit higher ground.”
What You Need To Know
- Drivers say flooded roads can make it difficult to access Camping World Stadium
- An Orlando spokesperson says the roads near the venue are fairly flat
- The city will look at adding more inlets to help with drainage, the spokesperson said
An afternoon storm made getting to the venue difficult, especially near Norton Avenue and South Street.
“This whole area of South Street was flooded, so cars couldn’t move,” Tran said. “The parking lots were flooded. Nobody could get in.”
As a concertgoer, she said she wants to make sure flooding like this doesn’t affect her plans next time she goes to Camping World Stadium.
“There is an infrastructure issue here where the water isn’t draining in this area like it’s supposed to,” Tran said.
A city of Orlando spokesperson said that area is fairly flat and has lower elevations than surrounding roads, which can lead to flooding problems.
The city’s public works staff will look at the potential for adding more storm drain inlets along South Street and Norton Avenue to deal with heavy rainfall, the spokesperson said.
Tran and her husband were able to enjoy the concert, and felt very “on-brand” when they got to their seats, she said.
“This is like typical Red Hot Chili Peppers — wet, sweaty,” Tran joked. “Yeah, it was insane. It was an amazing concert, regardless.”
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