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DeSantis: Rising waters in central Florida after Hurricane Ian a "500-year flood event"

Residents check on one another in a flooded neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
AP
Residents check on one another in a flooded neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling rising waters in central Florida after Hurricane Ian a 500-year flood event.

Widespread flooding is reported across the region, as slow-moving Hurricane Ian inundates the St. Johns River and other waterways already swollen after a rainy summer.

Officials are urging residents to stay off the roads. In Seminole County, officials issued an executive order banning motorized boats from roadways. Here’s DeSantis. 

“This storm is having broad impacts across the state, and some of the flooding you’re going to see in areas hundreds of miles from where this made landfall are going to set records.”

Evacuations and rescues also have been reported. In Volusia County, a man drowned after slipping into a canal while trying to drain his pool.

Amy Green covered the environment for WMFE until 2023. Her work included the 2020 podcast DRAINED.