PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – In the Florida Keys, island living with boating, fishing, and nature comes with a price: Learning to live with flooding and an annual hurricane season. Hurricanes Milton and Helene hit during the rainy season and put this to the test.
On Sunday, during This Week In South Florida, Monroe County Mayor Holly Merrill Raschein, of Tavernier, said seasonal tides already cause prolonged flooding in low-lying areas like Stillwright Point, a subdivision in Key Largo, gets flooded regularly.
“We have to lift up our structures,” the mayor said adding that an ongoing “resiliency project” in Twin Lakes, a neighborhood in Key Largo, is an example of more to come.
The project includes a drainage and stormwater collection system and road elevation to protect 105 residential structures. The groundbreaking ceremony was on Aug. 16 with the help of a $5.4 million federal appropriation.
“Our Congressman Carlos Gimenez has been an incredible partner because these are extremely expensive projects,” Merrill Rachein said.
Milton and Helene, which mostly impacted Florida’s Gulf Coast, challenged Gov. Ron DeSantis. Milton also spawned deadly tornadoes and prompted massive evacuations. Milton caused the deaths of more than 23 people.
The rescue and recovery operations continued Sunday when President Joe Biden arrived at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, surveyed the area’s damage after back-to-back storms, and delivered a speech in St. Pete Beach about federal disaster assistance.
“Yesterday after I signed the major disaster declaration, more than 250,000 Floridians registered for help,” Biden said, adding, “The most in a single day ever in the history of this country.”
More on Hurricane Milton
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