Lake Harney residents watch for rise in St. Johns River

Now that Hurricane Dorian is gone, people who live near Lake Harney are worried their properties will flood because of all the rain the storm brought.

Seminole County left a pile of sand at Fort Lane Park for people who live by the lake to fill up sandbags. There is a concern for flooding because all the rain Central Florida got during Hurricane Dorian.

“When we flood, it’s awhile before we get out,” Steve Burns of Lake Harney said. “Or for before the water goes down. We can still get out with a canoe.”

The Lake Harney area is prone to flooding, because the St. Johns River flows in to the lake. It flooded badly after Hurricane Irma.

“Well, the water went all the way from here, to not this street, but the second one, and it stayed that way for about four months,” Burns said.

Burns sent his mother-in-law away to stay with relatives as a precaution. “If it floods, we can’t get her in and out because we have to canoe in and out of here normally when we get flooded,” Burns said.

He remains optimistic that the flooding will not be as bad as Hurricane Irma. “(I’m not concerned) right now,” Burn said. “It would be higher up if it was going to get that bad. But I’m sure it’ll come up. It’ll probably come up to that sea wall.”

The sandbag pile officially opens Friday. Residents will need to bring a shovel to fill up their sandbags.