TAMPA, Fla. – Crews for the town of Tampa and Hillsborough County are racing to get as many crucial stormwater jobs completed as doable earlier than the area will get hit with any main storms or hurricanes.
What we all know:
Throughout a Metropolis Council assembly Thursday, the town’s Mobility Division reported that greater than 2,300 tons of particles had been cleared from pipes, ditches, and ponds since final 12 months and work to restore and substitute stormwater drainage pipes continued.
However some metropolis leaders stay pissed off by what they see as sluggish progress.
“There was a promise made to the general public that upkeep could be completed in each space inside three years,” stated Council Member Invoice Carlson. “And we have seen that upkeep hasn’t been completed in some locations in a long time.”
Council Member Guido Maniscalco echoed these considerations, noting that hurricane season brings renewed anxiousness for residents.
“Persons are terrified,” he stated.
Hillsborough County crews, in the meantime, stated a whole bunch of stormwater system repairs are underway, prioritizing areas with essentially the most extreme impression.
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“Whether it is extreme sufficient, it actually can cease drainage altogether,” stated Thomas Root, Part Supervisor for Hillsborough County Public Works, “till it overcomes the driveway and simply strikes over prime of it.”
What they’re saying:
Sebastien Legros is amongst these nonetheless dwelling in short-term housing. After dropping the whole lot to storm surge, he spent weeks in a lodge earlier than shifting into an RV parked in his entrance yard. He estimates it’ll be at the least two extra weeks earlier than he can transfer again into his house.
However Legros says the injury from Helene was only one chapter in a long-running downside: poor drainage.
“One factor that will assist is that if the county have been to behave and attempt to assist us with the drainage points,” Legros stated. He shared current pictures displaying water pooling throughout streets throughout a routine afternoon thunderstorm.
What’s subsequent:
Root stated crews are centered on finishing as many high-priority jobs as doable earlier than one other hurricane strikes.
The Supply: Data for this story got here from reporting by FOX 13’s Aaron Mesmer, interviews with Hillsborough County Public Works, and statements from Tampa Metropolis Council members and City ‘N’ Nation residents.
