CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — An already waterlogged Charlotte County is expected to get 6-8 inches of rain from a storm forecasted next week, causing some residents to be concerned about flooding.
On Wednesday evening, a storm dropped 3-4 inches of rain in Port Charlotte, causing isolated flooding in some neighborhoods.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on storm preparation as heavy rains are expected for Charlotte County:
“We thought ‘hey this is going to be a quick storm’, well it didn't stop,” said Tom Dorsch who lives on Sistena Street. “Water, I mean just started filling the street very quickly and the water kept rising.”
Dosch told Fox 4 his home is elevated, so he is more concerned for how his neighbors will handle next week’s predicted rains.
“The next storm coming in is going to bring twice as much rain as we got last night and yesterday,” said Dorsch. “I can't imagine what it's going to do to this area with the water being in the ground at surface level, it won’t go down, so we’re a little worried.”
With the ground already saturated, Charlotte County officials said more widespread flooding is possible, depending on the amount of rain and timing of next week’s storm.
“The swales are filled up all over the county,” said Brian Gleason, Charlotte County Director of Communications. “And whenever you get any kind of rain event they are going to overflow and the streets are going to flood.”
Gleason told Fox 4 that the county is clearing drains in preparation for the rain, and if anyone sees blocked drains in their neighborhoods to contact the Public Works department at (941) 575-3600.
Additionally, Gleason encouraged people affected by Hurricane Helene to file their FEMA claims. You can file a claim by clicking HERE.
