Hurricane Milton wreaked havoc on several Central Florida communities but spared the Orlo Vista neighborhood in West Orange County from much damage which took on devastating floodwaters during Hurricane Ian two years ago A major flood mitigation project that the county’s Public Works Department is finishing up is partly to thank according to Deputy Public Works Director Brett Blackadar because the project was effectively done,” Blackadar said “The only thing that wasn’t in place was the final pumps.” The Orlo Vista Flood Mitigation Project is about 97% finished, according to the county’s most recent update Although supply-chain delays have halted the arrival of permanent submersible pumps that will ultimately be installed for the project the county has temporary pumps in place that effectively do the same job “The effect was that we basically were able to get a hundred-year storm event capacity out of the system,” Blackadar said In Orlo Vista and the surrounding area of Orange County that translates to about 10.5 inches of rain Although Milton brought less rain than that to the area Blackadar said the project still helped mitigate the area’s potential for flooding a very different situation there than we saw in either Irma or Ian,” Blackadar said The flood mitigation project involves three ponds crews excavated to create more water storage as well as new pumps that will ultimately be installed to move out excessive water “The final configuration will be a little better but we were able to get almost the same capacity out of the temporary situation no one will really notice the difference,” Blackadar said The county rented temporary pumps through the end of this hurricane season so the area will remain protected until the permanent pumps can be installed: hopefully by spring of 2025 the project’s current target for completion Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More residents in the Orlo Vista area of Orange County are taking precautions The neighborhood suffered devastating flooding during both Hurricanes Irma and Ian Orange County officials are standing by the nearly completed Orlo Vista Flood Mitigation Project Clarence Laster isn’t taking any chances ahead of Milton “I am putting the stuff that we want to save and keep just in case we get flooded So I am going to load stuff up here and take it over there,” said Laster He’s lived in his home in Orla Vista since the 80s and needing to be rescued out of his home during the flooding caused by Hurricane Ian When we walked out of there I was in my underwear when we came out of the house It took five months and nearly $70,000 dollars to recover from that “We don’t want to go through that no more,” said Laster including important documents in ziplock bags “I’ve got my passport in here,” said Laster thanks to the Orlo Vista flood mitigation project this project has tripled the amount of water that can be held by the three ponds on by making them much deeper and therefore allows them to draw the water down ahead of a storm to protect the area from a 100-year flood event. “It makes me feel a lot better than the last time because they have done a lot of work out there and its deep and it can hold a lot of water and I hope that it do take care of the problem in this neighborhood once and for all,” said Laster Laster shared he feels safe and will probably ride out the storm at home hoping to have a different outcome this time “I am hoping that we come out smelling like a rose,” said Laster Laster said if he does start to feel that the water table is rising ahead of the storm The local Public Works team worked around the clock to monitor conditions before making sure systems remained operational during Hurricane Milton 2024 on West Washington Street was also shared: The excavation almost tripled the capacity of the three connected ponds that overflowed during Hurricanes Irma and Ian The ponds are 10 feet deeper than before the excavation started and better prepared to handle heavy rain we’ve created millions of gallons of additional storage for stormwater run-off,” Liliana Ramirez residents and their homes are going to be much better protected than in previous years.” “We want to make the residents of Orlo Vista and all flood-prone neighborhoods in the region safer from these kinds of heavy rain events,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said earlier in the year “This type of excavation will most certainly make a difference and protect the surrounding homes from potential flood damage.” And by the way don’t celebrate too much because if my people wouldn’t have dug a trench to the lakes in the middle of the hurricane it would’ve flooded our whole house for the third time.It did flood in Orlo Vista my room my brother’s room our neighbors car it was at our doorstep when they went across the street to dig a trench so it could drain so don’t celebrate too much Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Show Breaking News BarCloseLocal News Laverne McGee ORANGE COUNTY – When hurricane Ian hit Orlo Vista back in 2022 several homes in the area had to deal with over 6 feet of water Orange County came up with solutions to make sure it wouldn’t devastate those neighborhoods again Hurricane Milton put the plan to the test There was hardly any flooding in the same area Commissioner Mike Scott toured the area today with News 6 6-to-8 feet of water was in people’s homes about two years ago,” Scott said and the water remains in the ponds and not in their homes It’s part listening to the community getting federal funding but also just really putting this project on a timeline and getting it done and updating the community monthly.” [EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos] the three retention ponds will be able to hold about 18 feet of water Commissioner Scott says the entire project will be complete next year He also told us they have a lot of federal dollars that are coming in for other projects Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved Laverne McGee joined WKMG-TV as a reporter in March 2024 TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Contests and Rules Contact Us / Follow on Social Media Careers at WKMG Closed Captioning / Audio Description Public File Current EEO Report Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Info FCC Applications EEO Report Disability Assistance Copyright © 2025 ClickOrlando.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group — It’s been a rainy few weeks across Central Florida and now we’re getting an update on a long-term flood mitigation project in the Orlo Vista area That part of Orange County flooded significantly during hurricanes Ian and Nicole in 2022 Residents are looking forward to the completion of this project to help prevent flooding in their yards and homes County leaders say this is about 95% complete but things won’t wrap up until next spring project manager for the Orlo Vista flood mitigation project says the three ponds have been made deeper by 12 feet. Work has been done to connect pipes between the ponds so the overall system works together. we are pumping down the ponds and we have all the new storage that we have created with excavation available So that way we’re going to keep the rain in these ponds,” Ramirez said Ramirez says the goal over the next few months is working on the electrical building. Supply chain issues are delaying that end of the project but Ramirez ensures that is temporary. “We are working every day on the project and doing progress every month,” Ramirez said. That progress is something one Orange County commissioner is happy to see. they’ll be happy with the finished product but more importantly it will meet the needs,” Mike Scott But no one is as excited as Orlo Vista resident Ken Smith “We’re thrilled to know there’s a plan to have it completed,” Smith said Improvements expected to help reduce flooding threat for 2023 hurricane season Orange County Stormwater Management excavators have been digging muck out of drained retention ponds in the Orlo Vista neighborhood of Orange County and a steady stream of dump trucks has been hauling the dirt away The Orlo Vista Mitigation Project is meant to help prevent future flooding in the flood-prone neighborhood The excavation will almost triple the capacity of three connected ponds that overflowed during Hurricanes Irma and Ian “The ponds are very large but also very shallow so we’re making them approximately 10 feet deeper than they were originally built,” explained Daniel Negron Chief Engineer with Orange County Stormwater Management Orange County will also improve the efficiency of the pumps that connect the three ponds so when a severe weather system approaches the level of water in the ponds can be lowered to handle an influx of heavy rain The project is set for completion in the summer of 2024 but the work already underway should lower the flooding threat for the 2023 hurricane season “Once we started the actual excavation and de-mucking process,” explained Negron making them more and more effective for flood mitigation.” Many homes in the Westside Manor neighborhood of Orlo Vista still show evidence of flood damage from Hurricane Ian but many residents who stayed through the recent floods say they are encouraged by the progress they see “What the County is doing will be a great help to this community,” said Julius Amos an 84-year-old resident who evacuated his home after it flooded during both Irma and Ian The plan is to make the retention ponds capable of handling a 100-year storm or as much as 14.4 inches of rain in three days which is the national standard for this type of project It is possible future weather events could surpass a 100-year storm The $23 million cost of the project is being funded by $19.2 million in federal grants and about $4 million from Orange County For more information, go to Orlo Vista Flood Mitigation Project Photo caption: Orange County Public Works dredging pond area in Orlo Vista neighborhood near W Livingstone Street in Orange County — As Hurricane Helene inches closes to Florida Orange County officials are preparing to make sure residents stay safe One area they are paying close attention to is Orlo Vista which suffered devastating flooding during both hurricanes Irma and Ian Orange County officials said the project is built to keep the area dry even during a 100-year storm event which is a huge relief for those who live there Clarence Laster can still remember exactly how high the flood waters got in his home during Hurricane Ian He’s lived in his home in Orlo Vista since 1982 — he weathered the flooding of Hurricane Irma and needed to be rescued out of his home during the flooding caused by Hurricane Ian “It just kept raining and raining and it raining," Laster said "And the water couldn’t go nowhere." he said it gives him peace of mind to be able to watch the progress of the Orlo Vista flood mitigation project at the end of his block 'Wow,' and I went out and looked and stuff," he said "It was so deep — it was breathtaking when they first started digging it out Orange County is nearly finished the Orlo Vista flood mitigation project after years of research and work which involved excavating nearly 30,000 dump trucks full of material increases the size of the ponds at this site and allows the county to prepare them to hold more water ahead of a storm — which is what they are doing ahead of Hurricane Helene. “We have three ponds here at the Orlo Vista site and we have expanded all those ponds vertically basically tripling the amount of water that each of these three ponds can hold," said Orange County Public Works spokesperson Darrel Moody what we do is we draw the water down to what is an acceptable level there is about 10% — of the water that these ponds are able to hold is about 10% of the water in them right now.” While the project was supposed to be completed in February it was delayed due to supply chain issues and the permanent pumps have still yet to be installed engineers have installed temporary pumps that they expect to work just the same allowing them to keep the water levels low and move it into the Shingle Creek watershed “These ponds and the pumps will all function today the way they are designed to function once the final configuration and components are in place,” said Moody attending community meetings about the project to give his input And he said he makes sure to walk down the road to check out the progress every so often After listening to the county’s presentations and watching the work with his own eyes he said he feels much more comfortable this hurricane season “I can go ahead and go to sleep and don’t worry about nothing,” said Laster He was feeling confident that the project will keep his community safe this time we’ve solved the problem of getting flooded in this neighborhood right now,” said Laster Moody said the county will have extra crews on hand ready with portable pumps to monitor the situation They also expect to have this project totally completed Orange County Stormwater Management excavators began digging muck out of three drained retention ponds in the Orlo Vista neighborhood of Orange County to prevent flooding and the great news is that the excavation work will be substantially complete by the beginning of the 2024 hurricane season The excavation will almost triple the capacity of the three connected ponds that overflowed during Hurricanes Irma and Ian The ponds will be 10 feet deeper than before the excavation started and better prepared to handle heavy rain we’ve created millions of gallons of additional storage for stormwater run-off,” said Liliana Ramirez The flood mitigation project’s goal is to make the ponds capable of handling a 100-year storm or 14.4 inches of water in three days Future weather events could surpass a 100-year storm In addition to increasing the capacity of the ponds Orange County will also improve the efficiency of the pumps that connect the ponds so when a severe weather system approaches the level of water in the ponds can be lowered to help handle any sudden influx of stormwater safer from these kinds of heavy rain events,” said Orange County Mayor Jerry L This website is unavailable in your location It appears you are attempting to access this website from a country outside of the United States therefore access cannot be granted at this time Orange County is discussing the ongoing work of the Orlo Vista flood mitigation project after Hurricanes Irma and Ian brought significant flooding to the area Residents of Orlo Vista and Westside Manor neighborhoods where most of the construction will take place are encouraged to attend a community meeting on Tuesday The $23.4 million flood mitigation project will move ahead after residents of Orlo Vista experienced historic flooding during Hurricane Ian Existing retention ponds in the area will be deepened to make room for floodwaters and pipes will be installed between ponds to stabilize water levels during storms A new pump station at Shingle Creek and a 48-foot main connecting the retention ponds to the station will be able to accept overflow water from the area The goal is to keep water levels stable during a major rainfall event like a hurricane The project received $16.7 million from FEMA along with monies from the Department of Housing and Urban Development Show Breaking News BarCloseLocal News Brandon Hogan – Orange County firefighters doused a burning house Thursday morning in Orlo Vista The fire happened near the corner of Old Winter Garden Road and North Pine Hills Road A News 6 photographer captured footage of flames shooting through the roof igniting nearby vegetation as firefighters moved in also shows flames tearing through the structure Crews reported that the home was 90% involved before extinguishing the blaze around 7:30 a.m The building — described as an approximately 1,400-square-foot home on stilts — is expected to be “nonsurvivable,” according to the fire department Firefighters reported no injuries or occupants at the time of this report noting they could not yet search the home due to the threat of imminent collapse joined the ClickOrlando team in November 2021 Show Breaking News BarCloseLocal News Thomas Mates – It was announced Friday that Orange County would receive a $7.5 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency which will fund efforts to prevent future flooding in the county’s Orlo Vista neighborhood The funds will cover 75% of the estimated $10 million price tag of the flooding improvement project Demings chairs the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Disaster Preparedness [TRENDING: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)] The proposed improvements include excavation in three existing ponds to increase depth and capacity along with the construction of a new pump station Orlo Vista saw severe flooding in September 2017 when Hurricane Irma hammered the area More than 130 homes were flooded during Irma and emergency crews had to rescue 55 people Plans for these flooding resiliency improvements have been in the works since 2018 Copyright 2022 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved Thomas Mates is a Streaming Executive Producer for News 6 and ClickOrlando.com He also produces the podcast Florida Foodie Thomas is originally from Northeastern Pennsylvania and worked in Portland Oregon before moving to Central Florida in August 2018 He graduated from Temple University with a degree in Journalism in 2010 What do you do if you're in a car that suddenly becomes submerged in water You may not have given the question much thought but the answer could help you safely escape a sinking vehicle When the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed Tuesday morning video footage showed vehicles tumbling into the Patapsco River below The bodies of two men who were working on the bridge were recovered later They were found inside a red pickup truck submerged in 25 feet of water Perhaps more commonly, flash floods can catch drivers by surprise, trapping them in their cars as floodwaters rush past Accidents can also result in vehicles being submerged. In February, shipping executive Angela Chao, the sister-in-law of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, died after she accidentally drove into a lake at a Texas ranch An estimated 400 people die each year in submerged vehicles across North America Safety experts have studied such accidents for years and coalesced around a few simple steps that people should take in the rare case that they end up in a sinking car Experts say you should try to get out right away when the water level is still below the windows "The vehicle's only going to float on the surface of the water for seconds to several minutes," said Gerry Dworkin, a technical consultant for the safety training company Lifesaving Resources the pressure from the water against the windows and doors can make it difficult to open them wait for the car to fill up with water or do anything else that would delay them from getting to safety as quickly as they can "There are no good scenarios where waiting increases your chance of survival," said Gordon Giesbrecht a retired professor who studied vehicle submersion at the University of Manitoba The best way to survive a vehicle submersion is to escape through the windows before the car is fully underwater "It's absolutely critical that when the vehicle enters the water the very first thing you need to do is to disengage your seat belt and then get out as soon as you can," Dworkin said Giesbrecht suggests people remember a simple acronym and the windows are above the level of the water," Giesbrecht said "If you do this quickly — just get your seat belt off and open the window — you're actually getting out of the vehicle and getting down into the water." Giesbrecht recommends that adults help children out of the car first because once a person exits a sinking vehicle Children should be removed from the vehicle in order from oldest to youngest because the oldest children will be the most likely to be able to wait by themselves while the rest of the children are brought to safety one common misconception is that you should wait to escape until the vehicle fills up with water so that the pressure between the inside and outside of the car can equalize Giesbrecht also warns people to be careful relying on spring-loaded tools that are sold as a way to break car windows in an emergency many new vehicles use much stronger laminated glass that doesn't break as easily Giesbrecht urged drivers and passengers to take their safety tips from experts rather than the movies and TV shows that have gotten vehicle submersion — in his view — wrong "I've never seen a movie that portrays this correctly," he said FLASH SALE: Snag The OG Black Zip-Up designed by LA artist Chuy Hartman— inspired by the 24/7 service we provide to the LA community ends tonight Get the latest from KCRW in your inbox 3x a week — A woman was caught by a stray bullet during a shooting at an Orlo Vista Park Thursday The woman is said to be an innocent bystander Deputies say a driver in a vehicle with several passengers pulled into a park and started shooting at a 21-year-old man in the parking lot allegedly returned fire with the driver and later fled the scene to Buena Vista Street Deputies say a 30-year-old woman sitting in her van in the parking lot was struck in the leg by a stray bullet She’s said to be an employee at Greater Oasis Christian Academy Both shooting victims had non-life threatening injuries and were treated at Orlando Regional Medical Center No further details were released at this time.