Lake County residents spared high flood levels of Ian after Hurricane Nicole ran through

St. John’s River reached major flood stage of 4 feet Wednesday

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Friday, homeowners and businesses along the St. John’s River in Astor said they are thankful water levels this week didn’t reach as high as levels during Hurricane Ian.

Officials said the St. John’s River reached its major flood stage of 4 feet late Wednesday night as Hurricane Nicole moved closer to Florida.

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Paul Simonds lives on River Road in Astor. He said his house has been in his family since the 1950s, adding that the flood waters from the river came within feet of his house.

“It has not come in the house yet, thank goodness, but you see it. It’s right there. It’s close,” Simonds said. “This one here is just higher water. It’s not coming this way, but the river is not moving. The River is just flat. Not going anywhere.”

However, water levels on Lake George, which feeds into the St. John’s River, remained high.

“The worst part of this is the mosquitoes and the dead fish. They stink, but we are dealing with it. It’s just part of living in Florida,” Simonds said.

Simonds said that he’s hoping no more major rain storms roll through the area for the next several months.

“Depending on no more hurricanes and not much rain, but it’s going to be a long time before it gets back to normal,” Simonds said.

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About the Author
Troy Campbell headshot

Troy graduated from California State University Northridge with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication. He has reported on Mexican drug cartel violence on the El Paso/ Juarez border, nuclear testing facilities at the Idaho National Laboratory and severe Winter weather in Michigan.

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