SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Crews across the state are still cleaning up debris and restoring power after Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday night.

But now there’s another growing concern: flooding.

What You Need To Know

  • Seminole County officials say flood warnings are in effect for Seminole County rivers

  • County officials say the St. Johns River and surrounding lakes are still expected to rise

  • One effort to stop the flooding is building Tiger Dams

  • In downtown Sanford, U.S. Flood Control for Tiger Dam Director of Sales, Cheryl Witmer said they have about 100 crew members on the ground assisting with these efforts

Seminole County officials say flood warnings are in effect for Seminole County rivers. Although Hurricane Milton has passed, the county is ramping up and preparing for potential flooding.

Companies have boots on the ground on these efforts.

“The state of Florida has done a really good job in how they can be forward thinking on how they can give back and protect their communities in a time of a disaster,” said U.S. Flood Control for Tiger Dam Director of Sales Cheryl Witmer.

County officials say the St. Johns River and surrounding lakes are still expected to rise. This happens because the river flows very slowly and is nearly flat, causing water from heavy rainfall and storm surge to take longer to drain.

Storm surge from the coast can push water upstream, while local rain continues to fill lakes, meaning the river will keep rising event after the storm ends.

“Of course, the rainfall was south of us, so we definitely look like we’ll be in a major flood,” said Alan Harris with Seminole County Emergency Management. “We know with Tropical Storm Faye back in 2008 for those that were around, that was a problem, so we are making contingency plans, and when we say contingency plans, it doesn’t mean it’s going to close. We just need to go ahead and plan for that now.”

One effort to stop the flooding is building Tiger Dams.

In downtown Sanford, Witmer said they have about 100 crew members on the ground assisting with these efforts.

She adds that crews are not just in Seminole County, but surrounding counties as well, including Volusia.

“We really focus on critical infrastructure, like utilities, schools, hospitals, water treatment plants — things that really keep the things going in a community, so they can get the lights back on and carry on with life,” Witmer said.

Tiger Dams have been installed at Sanford Monroe Hospital, as well as areas just outside Walt Disney World.