Punta Gorda neighborhoods flood after heavy weekend rainfall

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. —

Residents in Punta Gorda prepared for more heavy rainfall and potential flooding, as the area already experienced some flooding over the weekend.

Suzanne Martin, a resident, noted that a garden picnic area is now consumed by water, saying, "This is usually a garden picnic area that is now consumed by water. Right to our left, there's a raised garden bed. Of course, right now it's an outlet with water. So it's normally full of people, not water."

Martin, who has lived in Punta Gorda for over eight years, shared her knowledge of the area.

"Being in this area, we know where our low-lying areas are. So those are the areas we avoid. Anything out 41 that's south of 41 downtown. Definitely. I don't know if you've been downtown or not. That really gets inundated with water because our sewage system and our water system just can't handle it. At this point. We're working on it, but it's not there yet," Martin said.

Tyler Canfield, operations chief with the Punta Gorda Fire Department, advised residents to prepare for the storm, saying, "We're fortunate enough to get a beforehand chance to prepare. We try to tell people, you know, pull in any loose debris. You know, lawn furniture or anything that we're flooding could create hazardous debris in the roadway. You know, that's step one. Step two is during the flooding process to make sure that, you know, people aren't driving out in the floods."

Martin also offered advice for those gearing up before the storm.

"Plenty of stuff in the house, generators going," Martin said.

The Punta Gorda Fire Department also warned residents to be aware of animals that could be forced out of their homes due to the rain, including snakes, raccoons, and possums, which may appear in front yards.

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