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'Your whole life is disrupted': Florida residents commute to homes by canoe through flooded neighborhoods

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Published  October 6, 2022 9:48pm EDT
Seminole County
FOX 35 Orlando

Florida residents commute to homes by canoe through flooded neighborhoods

Water levels continue to rise in Sanford, Florida. One neighborhood is buried in almost three feet of water, as people are commuting to and from their homes by canoe, trying to make the best of the situation.

SANFORD, Fla. - Water levels continue to rise in Sanford, Florida. One neighborhood is buried in almost three feet of water, as people are commuting to and from their homes by canoe, trying to make the best of the situation.

The riverside community is located off Orange Blvd., near Lake Monroe. People living in the tight-knit community are rowing a half-mile just to get to their cars.

Tom Haller’s daily commute is not your typical routine. He rows down Canal Drive to get to his car. The road is living up to its name as it sits under two to three feet of water.

"It's stressful. Your whole life is disrupted," said Haller. "To get groceries, you can’t just jump in your car and drive down. You’ve got to canoe over to your car. Go to the shop. Load your groceries into the canoe and drive those back home."

Haller and many of his neighbors have close to a foot of water in their homes. Some are packing up and heading out. Others are trying to make the most of their new waterfront property.

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"We have been blessed with weather that’s been phenomenal," said Bob Marwick. "If it was typical August and it was 98° there would be some hostile people."

Bob Marwick has lived on Beacon Dr. for 27 years. A steady flow of water splashes around in his garage while he and his dog, Lego, are using what is left of their yard.

SKYFOX Drone surveys flooding in Sanford from rising Lake Monroe

The FOX 35 SKYFOX Drone flew over Downtown Sanford to survey floodwaters from Lake Monroe, which is part of the St. Johns River System.

"It’s difficult. This is coming in my house. I’ve got it in the lower areas of my backyard. My pool is full now. It’s going to be a real mess," said Marwick.

Water levels still haven’t peaked in the area. NOAA projects waters to rise another half inch around Lake Monroe before cresting. But even then, it will take days and weeks for the water to clear the road.

"We’ve got power. It’s cool. It’s decent. We’re just are living it," said Marwick. "We can’t do anything right now. We’re stuck."