Punta Gorda is looking at ways to protect homes and businesses from future flooding after two hurricanes last fall decimated the city's downtown historic district.
People in the area lost a lot during hurricanes Helene and Milton when the water rose several feet. On Tuesday night, the city is discussing how to fix the stormwater system to prevent residents from experiencing such devastation again.
"We didn't know what we were coming to. Coming here after the flood. What we were expecting. And then very sad to see all our neighbors. And it just very heartbroken," said Megan Zul, a homeowner impacted by the hurricanes.
Megan and Mark Zul are rebuilding from the back-to-back hurricanes in 2024 that flooded homes in Punta Gorda. It wasn't long ago that water surrounded homes block after block by the riverfront. Downtown businesses like F.M. Don's along West Marion Avenue also flooded.
"The first storm was the worst. The drains backed up, probably 18 to 20 inches of water inside. And once we realized after the first storm that the second one was coming our way, we stopped and, the work and we moved everything else out of the restaurant to try to minimize the damage," said Stacey Deffenbaugh, owner of F.M. Don's.
The restaurant remained closed for 33 days.
"It was really hard challenge for me. Honestly. I had to go to a friend's house. They helped us with a place to stay. You know, we had friends all over help us rebuild our house from scratch. We couldn't, you know, afford it," said Ryan Delacruz, a line cook at F.M. Don's.
City Council Member Greg Julian said they are working on solutions to address the problem head-on.
"Well, the way the Gilchrist Park is and Rita Escalon is higher than the rest of this neighborhood, so it's kind of a fishbowl. And then when the tide comes in, it'll come back through the storm drains into the neighborhood, and it comes out of that. So we want to take a look at that," said Julian.
The city is going to study the downtown drainage system to see what can be done to reduce flooding, not just during hurricanes, but also during summer storms.
"One of the things that we're going to do is purchase a camera, remote control camera that can go down in the water and through the pipe system and identify the worst areas, and then we can, focus our efforts on those areas first and then do the rest of it," said Julian.
Mark Zul is hoping to take advantage of the Elevate Florida program to raise his home.
"So I guess we're looking for guidance to a good contract to help us lift, and hopefully the state will put something together for residents like us to at least help with the lift," said Mark Zul.
The city will also be working with FDOT and Charlotte County to come up with solutions. All of this could take years to fix. Tuesday's meeting starts at 5:30 p.m.