NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — New Smyrna Beach will lift its building moratorium at the end of June after a months-long study found new development didn’t contribute to flooding during Hurricane Ian.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

Nearly nine months after Hurricane Ian dumped nearly two feet of water on New Smyrna Beach, several families are still just barely getting by.

Many are living in trailers parked on their front lawns while contractors work to rebuild their homes.

“This has been terrible, emotionally and everything else for me,” resident Vickie Stidham said.

READ: ‘Painfully slow disturbance’: Low-pressure system in the Gulf to bring wet weather to Florida

She said she believes the city is partially to blame, pointing to debris clogging drainpipes around the area.

“I think if they had regularly cleaned out the sewers around here and the drains, that would have helped,” Stidham said.

An engineering firm hired by the city shared during a meeting Tuesday that a months-long study that showed the drains were no match for a storm like Hurricane Ian.

READ: Seminole County holds hurricane exercise, preparing for the start of hurricane season

“For this size storm, (it) would have been great to have it, but would not have made a difference,” Mayor Fred Cleveland said. “But certainly for most storms, smaller storms, the ditches should work.”

The city will use the findings to make a plan for future hurricanes that will be presented some time next month.

READ: Search continues for man who went overboard on Carnival cruise ship off Florida’s coast

Morning forecast: Wednesday, May 31 (WFTV)

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

©2023 Cox Media Group