ASTOR, Fla. – Residents living near the St. Johns River have been dealing with flooding after the north-flowing river entered into a minor flood stage this week.
Neighborhoods were seen with parts of their docks, driveways, and streets underwater after a system moved through the area bringing rain and flood waters.
News 6 meteorologist Jonathan Kegges reported on Thursday that heavy rain, astronomical high tides and a breezy northeast wind are contributing to the flooding. The St. Johns River runs south to north and northeast winds push against the river, forcing it to rise.
“Just a loss for words right now, just kind of distraught,” said Alan Jacobson who says he has been living in the Astor community for around 40 years.
Jacobson tells News 6 that the community has still been recovering from both Hurricane Ian and Nicole, and to have to deal with flooding again a year later has been frustrating.
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Recent rains led the St. Johns River to rise to a minor flood stage and Jacobson says it’s a stark reminder of what he has already lost.
“It’s just me now, my mother actually passed from the hurricane last year,” Jacobson said. “I’m just trying to take care of myself and my properties.”
Hurricane Ian caused the river last year to hit nearly 5 feet, soaring into a major flood stage.
Now the river is set to hit half of that record at 2.5 feet covering docks, and some streets, but the National Weather Service has set the waters to go back down by the middle of next week on Wednesday.
“It just seems like it is getting worse,” Jacobson said. “It could be from more development down south, that’s not letting the water flow right, but the St. John’s river just not moving.”
Jacobson says part of the issue for their community is the river bottlenecks in this area.
Both county officials and FEMA have been working to get results for the past several years, but Jacobson says those results need to come now.
“Come in here and do the right research, and the Army Corp of Engineers figure something out to where the river actually flows,” Jacobson said.
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