Flooding in downtown Fort Myers, especially near the Edison Bridge, is nothing new for people who live and work in the area.
"This last time, you can see the waterline right here. So all the neighbors pulled up in here? They moved in about two to three months ago," said Juan Salgado, a resident of the River Walk community.
Ruined furniture and soggy mattresses line the gate of his apartment complex.
It was rough. Because a lot of the roads were blocked off by the police and everything, so they wouldn't let us really leave.
Juan Salgado is one of many people in this area who are forced to brace for flooding.
Not just during hurricanes, but during heavy summer storms, too.
"I mean, I know this is a huge infrastructure challenge. This is an old town. This is an old building that we're in," said Deborah Jonsson, who works at Florida Repertory Theatre.
The flooding from the storm in their building caused floor damage.
"But somehow, we're all powering through. I'm always I'm always amazed at the resilience that our little town has," said Jonsson.
The Fort Myers Police Department officers often help with traffic and make sure people are not driving through dangerous flood waters.
"If it's an event like a hurricane, tropical storm, we are typically on the proactive side. We do have more manpower. But for your day-to-day rainstorms, which we have seen this area flood and have to close a bridge, yes, it can put a risk strain on our manpower," said Kristin Cappuzi, spokesperson for the Fort Myers Police Department.
Officers say they weren't even spared from Helene's wrath.
"I'm sure people have seen that we, unfortunately, even lost a police car during this last event. I mean, it can happen to anyone. It was a little bit different in our situation," Capuzzi said.
NBC2 reached out to the city, asking if they have plans to reduce flooding.
It says it is working on additional infrastructure and a drainage system that could help with flooding.