Public Notice: City of Lakeland Hurricane Milton Restoration Update - October 16, 2024

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Residential Garbage Collection resumed normal operations on Monday, October 14^th. This includes garbage, recycling and yard waste.  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. 

City of Lakeland crews estimate there is between 200,000 and 250,000 cubic yards of tree and vegetative debris that will need to be removed from Lakeland area streets. Hurricane debris including large yard waste piles and household items will be collected street by street by FEMA Contractors and city claw trucks. There is need to call in large piles of tree or household debris. 

The City’s contract debris haulers have been mobilized and Lakeland residents will start seeing the FEMA debris haulers on the street starting today.  Keep debris away from trees, poles, structures, fire hydrants, and meters. Do not block the roadway with debris. Curbside debris needs to be separated into these categories:

• Construction debris
• Vegetation debris
• Appliances

A debris hotline has been established. Staff will be able to let the caller know where debris haulers are currently working and explain the debris removal process.  The hotline is live: 863-834-TREE (8733).

As of this morning there are 129 Lakeland Electric Customers remaining without power.  Dedicated field personnel have been working tirelessly to make progress.  Lakeland Electric estimates that all power will be restored for those that can safely receive power by the end of the day.  The damage caused by Hurricane Milton is some of the worst experienced in the community, comparable in scale to Hurricane Irma in 2017.

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. Please call Customer Service at 863-834-9535 to report electric emergencies and downed lines. 

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 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 the City has been pushing water from Lake Bonny to Lake Parker with a very high-volume pump at 5,000 gallons per minute since August 5, 2024.   The water from Lake Parker eventually flows to the Peace River via Lake Hancock but both those water bodies are also at flood level. Flooding occurred throughout the City and Polk County and the drainage continues to impact the Lake Parker/Bonny watersheds, with water steadily draining into the lakes. Even though a high-volume pump is removing water from Lake Bonny, the urbanized drainage basin continues to input water to the lake.

For those still experiencing flooding situations, a self-serve sandbag site has been mobilized at 315 North Eastside Drive.  The site is open from 8 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  Sandbags are available on a 1^st come; 1^st served basis as long as supplies last.

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 list of boil water notices in place.  Go to lakelandgov.net/boilwaternotices for the latest updates. 

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 federal government have resources available to help those that received damage from Hurricane Milton. It’s important to register for both.

Register for State Assistance at Activate Hope:

www.hopeflorida.com

Register for Federal Disaster Assistance:
www.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.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management has announced the opening of Operation Blue Roof. Eligible Polk County residents can apply for this no-cost service through November 5, 2024 by visiting blueroof.gov, calling 888-ROOF-BLU (888-766-3258), or visiting a Right of Entry (ROE) collection.

The Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Consumer Services is hosting an insurance village at the RP Funding Center that is open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.  The village will serve as an opportunity for policyholders to meet with their insurance carriers in person and work together to file insurance claims. Policyholders should bring as much documentation as they can, including:

• A driver’s license or other form of identification (Passport/State issued ID)
• Insurance cards and insurance policy information/documentation
• Pictures or documentation of the property
• Repair estimates
• Any additional insurance-related information that is readily accessible

NOTE: Due to space limitations, the insurance village will exclusively focus on insurance related issues. Staff from other agencies will not be present to assist with other post-storm benefits. For more information visit www.FloridaDisaster.org.  

Thank you to all those helping put the community back together. Please visit lakelandgov.net/hurricane for additional information regarding restoration and notices.

 

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