Orlo Vista Community flooded again, some homes underwater

Orlo Vista residents homes under water, say enough is enough

Three lakes merged into one giant lake, pouring flood waters into the Orlo Vista neighborhood

ORLANDO, Fla. - Parts of Orlando struggled to handle the rains that came with Hurricane Ian. Some places saw 10 to 16 inches of rain. This caused lakes to overflow from Lake Eola to Lake Venus in Orlo Vista.

Orlo Vista resident said Lake Venus overflowed in 2017 with Hurricane Irma. The County tried to address the issue, but the same thing happened again.

A resident whose house is underwater shared video with FOX35 of his bedroom and kitchen flooding. Even water spilling in from the electrical sockets.

"I’m sorry for them, but, what can I do," said King Thompson

Thompson and his wife used to live right up against Lake Venus. After Hurricane Irma put their home underwater, they moved to Washington St. The move a few roads over wasn’t enough to escape the water.

"There has to be about two inches of water," said Thompson. "Through the whole house."

The Orange County Sheriff’s office says they rescued 40 people Thursday. Some of those people were from Orlo Vista.

"It was a little scary," said Deedra Ware. "There were people coming out with their lifeboats trying to help people get out. People were walking in the water up to their knees."

Residents say the flooding from Ian was worse than Irma. Orange County tried to address the problem but, Mayor Jerry Demings admits not enough was done.

"There is no system out there that withstand a hurricane impact this massive and will overwhelm any storm water system," said Demings. "We are going to step that up a bit because I think the people out there deserve.it."

Mayor Demings says the county will make repairs a top priority and will use local and federal aid to fund the projects. Although, residents tell FOX 35 they have heard that before and feel like they have no choice but to move out.