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Flood-prone Orlovista braces for Idalia

ORLOVISTA, Fla. — The Orlovista community in Orange County is bracing for whatever Idalia may bring.

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The area was left with severe flooding after Hurricane Ian nearly one year ago.

LIVE UPDATES: DeSantis declares state of emergency for more than half of Florida ahead of TS Idalia

Over the weekend, county leaders and Public Works employees cleaned up debris in the neighborhood ahead of the storm. Other work has also been done to mitigate more flooding.

During Ian, more than a foot of rain hit in less than 24 hours and surpassed the amount the community’s pump could handle and caused major flooding.

READ: Tracking Idalia: These Central Florida school districts are closing ahead of the storm

After the storm, the county started its $23 million mitigation project to prevent future flooding. The increased capacity of the retention ponds will give any flood rain somewhere to go besides the front doors of these homes.

READ: Tropical Storm Idalia: County-by-county guide to shelter locations in Central Florida

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Adam Poulisse, WFTV.com

Adam Poulisse joined WFTV in November 2019.