ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County Fire Rescue officials responded to Arden Villas Apartments near University Boulevard Thursday night to help evacuate about 200 residents to a sister facility in Altamonte Springs.
Images submitted to News 6 show the extent of flooding in Orlando, with several vehicles submerged in the floodwaters swamping an apartment complex near the University of Central Florida.
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The complex suffered major floods after Hurricane Ian stormed through Central Florida Wednesday through Thursday.
While Ian has since downgraded to a tropical storm, the water levels have remained high across much of Orlando.
According to Jeffrey Blostein, who submitted the pictures to News 6, a lake in the complex was breached, causing water to spill out and flood apartments.
Blostein said that hundreds of cars were likely lost in the flooding and students in the complex didn’t know what to do.
“The entire community is underwater,” he wrote to News 6.
Residents used kayaks, surfboards and even an air mattress to evacuate from the area.
Trevor Babb, a UCF student living at the complex, left while carrying as many of his belongings as he could after water began to flood into his apartment.
“Dirty water started pouring through the door and underneath the windows,” Babb told News 6.
Teresa Jernigan, a woman from Palm Coast, said she drove to the complex to help her daughter, who was stuck on the third floor of an apartment building after it flooded.
However, Jernigan’s daughter was eventually able to escape from the building.
“Amazing,” Jernigan said. “As soon as I seen her, I’m good now.”
Fire crews and the National Guard responded to the complex to help residents evacuate the area and take evacuees to a sister facility in Altamonte Springs.
Orange County remained under a flood warning until 8:30 p.m. Thursday as Ian moves away from Central Florida. Click here for helpful information on how to handle flood damage caused by the storm.
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