Holly Hill residents seeking solutions after homes flooded with water, sewage

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HOLLY HILL, Fla. - Three weeks after Hurricane Milton, residents in one Volusia County area are still dealing with storm-related issues like sewage backups and flooding.

Most of the streets off Anniston Avenue are piled high with people’s belongings ruined by floodwater. What they could salvage from inside their homes is being temporarily held in portable storage containers.

Jeff Cahill, who lives on New Castle Court, said his home has flooded three times in the last 15 years. His remodel following Hurricane Ian was only completed about six months ago. Now he’s back at square one.

"I’ve lived here for 23 years," Cahill said. "It’s just disappointing to walk in the front door now."

Cahill’s home is now an empty box. All of his belongings were ruined, and the flooring has been removed. A waterline, seven inches high, can be seen around the baseboards – only it wasn’t just water.

"It’s pretty disgusting when you can actually see sewage coming out of your toilet bowl and backing up through your shower drain, then you know you have to walk through it, and you’re breathing it in… it’s all over your skin," Cahill said. "[My] couch, table, beds, all had raw sewage clumped to them… so everything is ruined. The refrigerator doesn’t work, dishwasher doesn’t work."

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Cahill has flood insurance through FEMA but has not yet received any financial support. A hotel room for three weeks wasn’t an option for him, so, despite current conditions, he is living in the home – with next to no belongings.

"This is it… [I have] my car, my motorcycle and some of my clothes," Cahill said. "That’s all I got right now."

Most of his neighbors are in the same boat – again. This is the second time in two years these homes have flooded – with water and waste.

"You’re talking about a 60–70-year-old infrastructure that has to be updated, and we’re trying to update as we can," said Chris Via, Holly Hill mayor.

At a city commission workshop on Wednesday, Mayor Via, who is only in office for another few weeks, said in addition to ongoing projects, they are looking at options to fix the issues.

"The city is taking on a vulnerability study. The state is coming in and helping us with the study, from that study it’s going to unlock the ability for us to get federal money and state money to take on the big projects," Via said.

Results of that study are expected by December. Without any state or federal funding, the city’s 2024 stormwater budget is $1.47 million dollars. Next year’s budget is $1.16 million – $700,000 of which is already earmarked for pipe cleaning, lining and replacements as well as a "major project" to reduce flooding in the area where Cahill lives.

Cahill was at the meeting on Wednesday and plans to be at the next meeting, too.

"They sound sympathetic, but this is where we are. It doesn’t seem like there’s going to be any quick fix to this," Cahill said. "You keep your fingers crossed, and you just take one day at a time."

According to Cahill, demolition on his house starts on Monday. Right now, he is moving forward with rebuilding, but said he is also looking into FEMA’s Flood Buyout Program, in which the agency helps communities purchase flood-prone properties, then deed restricts the land as ‘open space’ to preserve a floodplain.

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