Residents of Meadowbrook used to live on an expansive golf course, but now it’s more like a lakefront property.
Severe flooding was just one of the numerous complaints voiced at the post-Hurricane Irma town hall meeting Monday night.
At 5:30 p.m., about 100 people gathered at the Alachua County Senior Recreation Center, located at 5701 NW 34th Blvd., to discuss recovery successes and failures following the Category 1 storm. The speakers included County Commissioner Ken Cornell, Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe, Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell, Emergency Management Director John Shaw and FEMA representatives.
As the county continues through the recovery phase, local officials wanted to address the needs of those who are still struggling in the aftermath, Poe said.
“Some of you have gotten back to normal, and your life is proceeding as according to plan, and some of you are still looking for some solutions to some problems,” he said.
One of the most common issues was flooding, which was primarily in Meadowbrook neighborhood, the Hills of Santa Fe and Robin Lane.
Frustrated Meadowbrook residents recalled the lack of action taken by local government after severe flooding from hurricanes in 2004. Now, 13 years later, residents wonder why they are faced with the same problem.
Other attendees brought concerns about debris that remained uncollected on private roads.
Patrick Irby, from the Alachua County Public Works Department, assured residents that all debris in mandatory areas would be picked up, but resources are stretched thin from natural disasters around the country.
Alachua County spokesperson Mark Sexton said local officials knocked on nearly 600 doors to offer assistance to those who suffered serious damage from the storm.
Now, the county has four large trucks to help clear debris along with their normal waste management crews. Even still, the county expects it will take about 83 days to collect all of the remaining debris and dispose of it, Sexton said.
“It’s an enormous job,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can with the resources we have.”
The county also addressed the unmet needs of pet shelters. Cornell said that the county has secured 500 animal crates to be used for future pet shelters.
Local leaders praised the unity the community showed during the storm but recognized there were flaws in the preparation for and recovery from Hurricane Irma, such as addressing flood-prone areas and communicating debris pickup.
“We did a lot of things not so well,” Cornell said. “We need to work on how we improve not only on our response, but certainly on our preparation and on the legacy issues that exist throughout our community.”
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