A couple in Lehigh Acres claim they’re having to trudge through water from their front step to get to their cars. There has been major flooding in their neighborhood.
The couple tells Four In Your Corner they have submitted a Request for Action through the county on July 18th have not been given a solution.
“Our yard just floods and we have to come off our porch and put waders on to go to work in the morning,“ Richard Thiessen said.
Thiessen says most days he has to wear his rain boots just to make it from his porch to his car, even long after it has rained.
Thiessen claims that when it rains, all the waters pulls into his yard because his yard is the lowest yard in the area. His home was built more than 30 years ago.
“Codes have changed, everything has changed. When the duplexes and other homes were built they were built much higher,”he said.
Neighbors say drainage ditches in Lehigh Acres neighborhood are pretty full year round.
While Four In Your Corner was out on site, there were patches of puddles but levels there were no signs of major flooding at the time.
“They [county] were like well we’ve got flooding all around the county which is understandable,” he said.
The county says an inspector was at site last week because Tropical Storm Emily produced more than 7 inches of rain in less than two days. A spokesperson reassured Four In Your Corner several culvert pipes were cleared and will continue to be monitored.
“We’ve been here 30 years, we just don’t want it to continue happening,” Thiessen said.
If you’re experiencing a similar drainage issue you can put in a request for action by calling the county’s hotline, 239-533-9400.
First, to find out if your road is maintained by Lee County DOT, visit http://leegis.leegov.com/RoadLookup/[leegis.leegov.com]. If it is not maintained by Lee County, find your municipal contact by visiting www.leegov.com/dcd/flood[leegov.com].
· Second, put in a Request for Action (RFA) to improve surface water drainage along your county-maintained road by contacting the Request for Action Hotline at 239-533-9400 or www.leegov.com/dot/requestforaction[leegov.com].
· People can use the same phone number and website to also report blocked creeks and streams (example: downed trees, collected debris). The reported information will be directed to Lee County Natural Resources.
