As Tropical Storm Ian moves northwards away from Central Florida, Orange County will continue to expect sustained wins of 30-40 mph and some gusts of up to 50 mph throughout the day, with tropical storm winds expected through Friday by 1 a.m. Friday.
During the storm, Orange County experienced extremely heavy rains of 11-15 inches and even 16 inches in some areas. Flash Flood Warnings were issued this morning and the county has been answering dozens of calls to rescue people from their homes being flooded, with the hardest hit areas being Hope Circle in the Orla Vista area.
The following roads are closed to traffic due to flash floods:
- Primrose Drive and Colonial Drive
- Semoran Boulevard near Lake Underhill Road
- Semoran Boulevard and Hoffner Avenue
- South Orange Blossom Trail
- Orange Avenue and Silver Court
- Richmond Heights
- Woodgate Boulevard
There are currently 1,300 residents in county shelters as of this post, with some heading home this evening and others arriving from flooded neighorhoods. Two shelters have been closed at this time, Timber Creek High School and Southwest Middle School.
The City of Orlando held a press conference at 2 p.m. today where the mayor pleaded with residents to shelter in place and stay home unless their homes had been compromised by the storm. OUC has estimated that it has 67,000 customers in Orlando without power or roughly 25% of its customers.
Over 280 traffic lights are non-responsive or non-functioning, and at least 49 trees have fallen into the streets across the city.
Wastewater treatment plants are currently over capacity and some sewage is backing up into people’s homes. The City and the County are asking people to reduce their water use for activities like laundry, dishes, etc., to allow the treatment plants time to process the extra water in the system.
If you or someone you know needs help, contact the Citizen Information Line at 407-246-4357 or 911 if it’s an emergency.
Solid waste collection in the City of Orlando is expected to resume this Saturday.
Thanks so much for the update!