VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — More than three months after Hurricane Milton hit Florida, some people living in Volusia County are still dealing with water left behind from the storm.
Near Orange City, the area of Shady Lane and Miller Road is home to Miller Lake.
The storm caused water levels to rise and because the water has nowhere to go, they remain high.
In November, Volusia County officials started to pump out the water.
Those efforts are still underway.
For residents who are directly impacted, they’re doing what they can to protect their homes.
Every day brings a new set of challenges for Shanell Gabella.
“We just literally come here. We can’t use our washer, our dishwasher, we can’t use our shower. We just come, do everything, then go back to the house,” Gabella said.
Gabella’s home’s septic system is saturated, meaning, since the days after Hurricane Milton hit in October, their daily tasks revolve around using their neighbor’s camper.
“I have to tell my kids when it’s cold out, hurry up and shower, make it a quick one. You know, it’s not something you want to do for this long,” Gabella said. “We’ve lived here nine years, and even with all the storms that we’ve had, we’ve never seen our property look like this. Our kids can’t run around and play like they used to after school. We can’t have friends and family over, hangout and have a bonfire. It’s been really hard.”
Gabella worries about her home’s foundation.
In addition, the higher water level after Milton, neighbors also believe runoff water from nearby businesses flowing through pipes into the area is making matters even worse.
“It’s increased the water table. It’s completely saturated our property and we’re not even lakeside,” Gabella said.
It’s an around the clock effort to keep this home in the best shape possible.
Thousands of dollars have gone into building trenches, hundreds of sandbags are in place.
“If we’re not here, then our home is going to be gone. My biggest thing is my husband, and I have worked so hard for this property and to provide it for our kids and they’ve just robbed it from us and they’re just leaving us here like this. It’s hard, it’s really hard,” Gabella said.
Spectrum News 13 reached out to Volusia County leaders about their efforts to address lingering floodwaters.
They said a joint pump operation has removed around 1.5 million gallons of water from Miller Lake, dropping the water level about one inch per day.
That operation is still underway.
Even months after hurricane Milton, this family is still trying to figure out what to do next.
“All we know is we want the water gone. Move the water or move us,” Gabella said.
Volusia County leaders said the ongoing joint pump operation involves the Florida Department of Transportation, the City of DeBary, and Volusia County.
County officials say they will continue to monitor this situation and continue pumping the water out of Miller Lake for as long as they need to or until the DeBary system reaches capacity.