ORLANDO, Fla. — Some people spent Labor Day cleaning up after storms dumped several inches of rain on parts of Orlando Sunday night. And those inches of rain came down in just a short period of time – in about an hour.  It stranded some drivers, flooded some homes and even some businesses.

What You Need To Know

  • Some people spent Labor Day cleaning up after storms dumped several inches of rain on parts of Orlando Sunday night

  • The large amount of rain came down in just a short period of time – in about an hour

  • United Against Poverty Orlando, off Michigan Avenue, had knee-deep floodwater in it’s parking lot.  And that floodwater spilled into the nonprofit’s buildings

  • That same round of storms also dumped rain on the Thornton Park area, where some homes were flooded.  And an Orange County office was inundated with floodwater, which left several county vehicles in floodwater

United Against Poverty Orlando, off Michigan Avenue, had knee-deep floodwater in its parking lot. And that floodwater spilled into the nonprofit’s buildings.

“Outside in the parking lot it was all the way here, and then the water just started going up and it was somewhere about here in here and water was everywhere,” said Executive Director Anjali Vaya.

Luckily, most of their office equipment and store items were spared because they were elevated off the floor. But Vaya and other members of its leadership team spent hours getting the water out. The nonprofit provides people in need with a store and grocery where they can get items they need.

“Even just one day being closed, it matters to the community,” said Vaya. “So for us, as an executive director, I can’t be shut down tomorrow. So many people need us.”

That same round of storms also dumped rain on the Thornton Park area, where some homes were flooded. And an Orange County office was inundated with floodwater, which left several county vehicles in floodwater.

Vaya says United Against Poverty Orlando just finished roof repairs a few days ago - damage from past storms. She said when she got a call about Sunday’s flooding, she at first thought it was related to those repairs.

“I’m thinking it’s the roof, and within five minutes I’m making a totally different decision. It’s from the bottom,” said Vaya. 

This type of flooding is something she says she hasn’t seen in the more than two decades the nonprofit’s been here. But she’s now worried it could happen again.

“Infrastructurally something has changed in the area, because this has never happened in this facility, we have never had a storm surge into the facility before,” said Vaya. “We know parking lot is not the best, but we have never seen anything like this.”

United Against Poverty Orlando was scheduled to be closed for Labor Day, but they are set to open back up on Tuesday. Vaya has asked volunteers to help with the cleanup already underway.