Volusia County

Daytona Beach woman loses 30 years’ worth of possessions from Ian flooding

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — For nearly a week after Hurricane Ian, communities across Volusia County have felt the aftermath of the storm damage, and the Midtown neighborhood was hit especially hard.

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People in the neighborhood on South Kottle Street in Daytona Beach are fed up and frustrated.

The city laid out some solutions Wednesday night, from seeking federal funding to even getting rid of these neighborhoods and moving people elsewhere, but people here just want to see something done.

Read: Seminole County businesses deal with flooding, flickering power in Hurricane Ian aftermath

Almost all of Cynthia Slater’s possessions — everything she’s acquired in 30 years of living on South Kottle Circle — is gone.

Slater said that throwing all of the stuff away and paying for these dumpsters is not an easy solution for those who are less fortunate.

The floodwaters from Hurricane Ian filled her and her neighbors’ homes with several feet of water.

Read: As flooding recedes, is Central Florida prepared for a wave of evictions?

The Nova Canal near this neighborhood overflowed with the high tide and heavy rains, which has happened often.

Channel 9 visited this neighborhood when it flooded out in 2009, 2014 and 2019.

Last week, it flooded again, which ruined Joreatha Hayes’ home.

“We put sandbags all around the garage door, front door, " Hayes, 86, said. “It still got in.”

Read: ‘Absolutely disgusting’: Deltona residents puzzled by standing water outside flood zones

Some on the city commission discussed turning the neighborhood into a reservoir and rebuilding Caroline Village on higher ground. The city said it is working to get federal funding to fix some of the problems, which could cost more than $100 million to do so.

“We do need to find a way to get the funds back to our community,” said City Manager Deric C. Feacher.

And people are not sure whether they are going to be able to go back to their houses.

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