The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is looking into ways to minimize future flooding in Astor in Lake County. Residents in the community along the St. Johns River say they have experienced repeated flooding problems, especially following hurricanes Ian and Nicole.

For several weeks, Cliff Drury has had to park his car down the street from his home and trudge through his neighbors flooded front yard just to bring in his groceries. He says he moved to Astor from Kentucky 20 years ago for the fishing and the wildlife.

Now, though, he says the wildlife is on his doorstep.

“We had a couple of gators floating around here,” he said as a stream flowed through his garage.

“The current, it’s just pouring through here from the canal,” Drury added. “It just keeps filling in.”

Drury said the area has seen flooding before, but nothing that has gone this high or stuck around for this long.

“I don’t know how many weeks now, but it’s just staying,” he said.  “It’s sad.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, along with Lake County government, the St. Johns River Water Management District and the Florida Department of Emergency Management, designed a study of periodic flooding in Astor.

The coalition secured funding on Oct. 1, but because of hurricanes Ian and then Nicole, work on the study hasn’t been able to start. The study’s aim is to figure out ways to make the community more resilient against rising water.

But Drury, and other homeowners in Astor, say they are not sure if much can be done to fix the problem, saying they realize what comes with living on the river.

“I can’t imagine what they can that could do much good," Drury said. "I really can’t for this kind of flood."

Astor residents say they’ll take any help they can get, though, and despite the all the challenges, Drury, like others in the community, say it’s still worth it to live there.

“Yes, yes, really it is," Drury said. "It’s a great community."

Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say they should have a crew in Astor by early December to do some surveying for the study. The study, along with its recommendations, should be complete by September of next year.