Seminole County opening FEMA sites for residents impacted by flooding, hurricane damage
To find the FEMA help site schedule for the week and locations, scroll down to the bottom of this article.
Workers spent much of the afternoon building up Palmetto in Sanford so people could cross the floodwaters onto Marina Isle.
The water is rising but falling slightly at Lake Harney.
Lake Harney homeowner Cody Clark is keeping close track of water levels.
"Yesterday, it went down for the first time about half of an inch and today another half of an inch. So it's down an inch," Clark said.
Even at record flooding levels, at Lake Harney, falling an inch matters.
"One inch is making all the difference right now, so I'm able to keep the pumps going and move it out as fast as it's coming in, so it's working so far," Clark said.
Lake Harney has crested and is falling slowly, and Lake Jesup is also cresting.
"We are still seeing, of course, flooding go up in certain areas of our community," Seminole County Alan Harris said. "I am happy to report Lake Harney has crested."
Lake Monroe may come up in the next day or two.
"Maybe an inch to three inches more at Sanford in the downtown area, then it should start to go down," Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said.
J.D. Hunter shared photos from his home near Mullet Lake Park.
With water coming in and not yet cresting, he dropped by the newly opened FEMA intake site in Seminole County even though he has homeowners and flood insurance.
"It could pay the deductible. Who knows what it could do? It's good to have the assistance, never thought I'd need it, and maybe I won't need it," Hunter said.
FEMA says many prefer face-to-face rather than over the phone or online.
"This way, you can go in, talk to a person one-on-one, get a straight answer, ask your questions, look someone in the eye who knows what they're talking about," Jann Tracey said.
"They'll answer all the questions, what you can apply for, what you're eligible for," Harris said.
FEMA generally handles those without insurance or the underinsured, but there are other services, like temporary sheltering when your home can't be lived in.
FEMA information can be found on their website or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA.
"Airbnb and it's very expensive. And it's because we have a big family — six of us, six animals, bird, so it's very hard to get a place," Clark said.
He says his family has started the process with FEMA.
The flooding in Sanford should level off in a day or two.
The FEMA in-person sites will move around Seminole County over the next few days, hoping to be as convenient as possible to people dealing with issues around the county.
You can find the locations below:
Residents can stay updated on Seminole County hurricane recovery efforts here.
Below: Watch the full Seminole County update on FEMA and flooding