Why didn’t the stormwater pumps work? Leaders hold meeting on North Tampa neighborhoods’ flooding
TAMPA, Fla. - On the day after Hurricane Milton, floodwaters covered neighborhoods in North Tampa, Forest Hills, Timber Falls and the University Area, including places outside normal flood zones.
"We've seen it up to the sidewalks, but never have we seen it when it's up over the mailbox," North Tampa resident Dwight Hamilton told FOX 13.
Hurricane Milton dumped more than a foot of rain on the area, but even then, the City of Tampa's stormwater pumps might have prevented – or at least reduced – the flooding, but the pumps didn't work.
A North Tampa community meeting was held Tuesday evening to address the unprecedented flooding in these neighborhoods in the wake of Hurricane Milton.
That's where Tampa's District 7 Council Member Luis Viera said he's hoping to form a third-party committee of experts to investigate what went wrong in these communities.
"You had a lot of areas that were in non-flood zones and Zone X, and they got flooded," Viera said during the meeting.
He explained the Forest Hills neighborhood's three pump stations did not do their jobs during the hurricane. Two of the three pumps didn't have generators, and the one that did have a backup generator didn't switch on when it was supposed to, according to Viera.
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"People are losing their homes," Viera said. "People have deductibles of thousands of dollars if they’re lucky enough to have insurance."
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor along with representatives from FEMA and the SBA were also in attendance.
"We’ve got to make sure we’re here for these families with federal, state, and local resources," Viera said.
Prior to the meeting, Viera visited these working-class neighborhoods on Tuesday, where he said people can least afford to fix the damage. Viera said if the pumps and generators had worked, there may have been far less damage and much less ruined drywall, carpet and appliances piled up by the streets.
"That's their life out there on the lawn, that's their life. If I were them, I would want an independent investigation," said Viera.
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Miles away, south of Gandy Boulevard, neighborhood leaders said sewer lift stations and stormwater pumps sat idle with no back-up power. One leader said instead of extending the Riverwalk, Tampa should use those funds to help people survive storms.
"Spend the money on the generators, on our wastewater, on our stormwater generator systems, and making sure that folks are safe," said Stephanie Poynor of the Gandy Civic Association.
Viera said he will report back to Tampa's City Council on November 7 to present what he envisions for the independent council.
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