Public Notice: City of Lakeland Hurricane Milton Restoration Update - October 14, 2024

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Gas is being delivered from the port of Tampa, there are stations in the area that are running normal operations with regularly scheduled fuel deliveries. 

Residential Garbage Collection inside the City of Lakeland resumed normal operations today, Monday, October 14^th. This includes garbage, recycling and yard waste.  For example, if a customer has Friday as their normal day for collection, please place carts out for a Friday pickup.  Expect delays in bagged and containerized yard waste collection. Place any extra bags of garbage next to the green garbage cart and it will be picked up.

Hurricane debris including large yard waste piles and household items will be collected by FEMA Contractors and city claw trucks. No need to call in large piles of tree or household debris. The City’s contract debris haulers have been mobilized and the City of Lakeland is getting debris sites ready.  These are FEMA contractors so we must adhere to the FEMA rules with debris.

• Keep debris away from trees, poles, structures, fire hydrants, and meters. 
• Do not block the roadway with debris
• To simplify things, curbside Debris needs to be separated into these categories

• Construction debris
• Vegetation debris
• Appliances

At the peak Lakeland Electric had approximately 85,000 customers without power.  As of this morning that number is down to 5,500.  Our dedicated field personnel have been working tirelessly to make progress.  Lakeland Electric now estimates that all power will be restored for those that can safely receive power by Wednesday, October 16, 2024.

As more work is being completed in easements and backyards, please keep gates and fences unlocked and keep dogs inside for the safety of our teams and to help keep restoration moving quickly. Customers with damaged electrical equipment like a weather head or those in the heavily flooded areas may not get power until the floodwaters recede or damaged equipment undergoes assessment and repair by a qualified electrician. Detailed estimation times are now available on the Lakeland Electric outage map by zone. Customers can go to Lakelandelectic.com/outagemap and click zone in the navigation. 

Lakeland Electric reports that all Combee Settlement will be restored Tuesday, October 15. Please call Customer Service at 863-834-9535 to report electric emergencies and downed lines. Lakeland Electric has over 600 personnel helping restore power.  This includes more than 500 mutual aid personnel from Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Alabama, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida. 

There are some areas around Lakeland that were hit very hard with flooding.  The Lakeland area experienced over 12 inches of rain in 24 hours taxing the City’s stormwater system.  All area lakes are flooded, and it is very difficult to alleviate flood conditions and lower lake levels. Most of the drainage lakes, tributaries and rivers have high levels and that is not helping flood situations.

There are three major watershed basins in the City of Lakeland, and outflows from area Lakes flow into either the Hillsborough River or the Peace River.  The Peace and Hillsborough Rivers eventually flow into the Gulf of Mexico.  Water flows from higher elevation to lower elevation.  The water bodies were naturally connected with streams and creeks but as the area became more urbanized drainage systems have been built to enhance those natural flows.   The operation of the flood control structures is coordinated to ensure that downstream drainage can handle the additional capacity without causing more flooding.  The downstream rivers (Peace and Hillsborough) flow through relatively flat terrain with little elevation changes, which leads to significant regional flooding after major storm events.  The Peace and Hillsborough Rivers have been in flood stage since the passing of Tropical Storm Debby, and Hurricanes Helene and Milton have fully exacerbated the flooding situation.  This makes it very difficult to drain flooded upstream waters. 

The largest surface water drainage system is Lake Parker. Lakes at higher elevation that flow into Lake Parker include Lake Gibson (via Lake Crago) and Lake Mirror.  Lake Bonny is at a relatively equal elevation to Lake Parker, and depending on which lake has higher water levels, water will flow from Parker to Bonny, or Bonny to Parker.  The City operates a control structure between Bonny and Parker, and when water levels rise above the operating range in Lake Bonny, the structure is closed and a 12 MGD pump is used to push water from Lake Bonny to Lake Parker.  SWFWMD operates a control structure on the east side of Lake Parker that allows water to flow into Saddle Creek to Lake Hancock.  Lake Hancock outflows through a SWFWMD operated structure into the Peace River.  

Lake Morton and Lake Horney flow into Lake Hollingsworth. Water leaving Lake Hollingsworth flows to Lake Bentley and then through drainage conveyances through Lake Somerset and eventually to Lake Hancock and Peace River. Lake Wire and Lake Beulah flow into Lake Hunter.  Lake Hunter and Lake Bonnet outflow to Itchepackessassa Creek, which flows into the Hillsborough River.  

The City’s stormwater system and sanitary sewer system has been taxed heavily. The City of Lakeland asks residents, to reduce the use of water - only use toilets, laundry, and other water, as absolutely necessary.  All used water going down the drain impacts the wastewater process in moving water through the system. Be careful and when approaching standing water, do so with extreme caution because not all water is stormwater. Refrain from recreational contact in and around water bodies. Many of these systems have been adversely impacted by Hurricane Milton with high water levels, potential contamination and submerged structures. 

 Hurricane Milton caused several water main breaks, and the City’s Water Department continues to work on the water system. There is a growing list of boil water notices in place.  Go to lakelandgov.net/boilwaternotices for the latest updates. 

Most of the traffic signals are back online but we have a few without power.  Please be cautious on the streets and treat signalized intersections like a four-way stop.  Verizon has reported they have recovered some of their cell towers so coverage should start getting better.

Crew are working diligently to get power restored and life back to normal. Milton made landfall as a Category Three Hurricane and was a Category Two as it travelled over Polk County.  Many in the community were impacted. Both state and the federal government have resources available to help that received damage from Hurricane Milton. It is very important for those that received damage from the storm to register with both the state and the federal programs.

    1.    Register for State Assistance at Activate Hope:

https://hopeflorida.com/get-help/hurricanemilton.html

    2.    Register for Federal Assistance:
https://www.disasterassistance.gov/DAC-RI/location-search

Homeowners and renters in 34 counties are now eligible to apply for Individual Assistance due to damages from Hurricane Milton.  Register at http://DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362.

Residents that may need help with debris cleanup can call Crisis Cleanup: 844-965-1386. Volunteers may be able to assist with: fallen trees, drywall, flooring & appliance removal, tarping roofs and mold mitigation

Please visit lakelandgov.net/hurricane for additional information regarding restoration and notices.

 

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