CLAY COUNTY – Dr. Ann Shortelle, executive director of the St. Johns River Water Management District, wanted everyone to plan ahead for storms – and the water that come with them – with this message:

Our seasonal afternoon thunderstorms and increasing tropical storm-like weather remind us we are at about the halfway point of hurricane season. While it has thankfully been quiet for Florida so far, many longer-term residents know that activity often picks up in the fall months.

In the past three years, the state has been hit with major hurricanes in fall (Hurricane Michael, October 2018; Hurricane Irma, September 2017; and Hurricane Matthew, October 2016), so we must stay vigilant in our preparations to address the high levels of water that often come with big storms. In addition to having a plan to ensure your family’s safety, homeowners still have time to prepare their properties for the continuing hurricane season. You can do this by keeping debris out of storm drains and ditches, cleaning out gutters, extending downspouts at least four feet from structures, and building up the ground around your home to promote drainage away from the foundation.

You’ll also want to report clogged ditches to your local government. Your local government is the primary entity responsible for land use planning, maintaining stormwater systems, implementing a community’s master stormwater plan and implementing retrofit projects for areas built prior to the state’s stormwater rules. Through the St. Johns River Water Management District’s permitting program, we ensure that stormwater is managed on developed sites and that new drainage ditches or significant changes to existing ditches are coordinated regionally. The District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection issue permits to install stormwater systems, with the permit and legal responsibility for maintaining these systems typically passed to a homeowners’ association or property management company.

Another way to be prepared is knowing where to turn for official information and who to call when you need assistance. We have these resources listed on our website at www.sjrwmd.com/storm. You’ll find contacts for your local government and links to the National Weather Service and NOAA.

While we all continue to watch the tropics, we send our thanks to everyone who is already taking steps to be prepared.