TAMPA, Fla. — So much water in so little time. Flooding during Hurricane Milton last October shocked Jim Wujek and a lot of his neighbors near North Tampa.
“Milton was a problem,” said Wujek, the president of the University Square Civic Association. “I’m on 19th. Up on 22nd, they got clobbered.”
The October flooding was the reason Wujek attended a Monday night meeting, almost nine months after Milton, to ask questions, raise concerns and figure out what the City of Tampa is doing to prevent future flooding.
WATCH: City of Tampa says it's more prepared to mitigate flooding this storm season
In the meeting, the city said it’s doing a lot.
“With Helene and Milton, there were a lot of lessons learned,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told the room.
According to the City of Tampa, it now has six days a week of maintenance on its stormwater pipes, drains, and ditches.
The city also said it's preparing backup generators to make pump stations more reliable and has completed small maintenance projects in flood-prone places like Parkland Estates.
Overall, Mayor Castor said the city has a brand-new approach.
“We’re in the all-hands-on-deck right now,” she said.
What grade would Wujek give the city after learning of those improvements?
“I gotta get up near B to A — in that level, because they’ve focused very heavily on the things that stopped the response,” he said.
However, he thinks there’s still room for even more improvement, even if that improvement costs the city more money.
“I’m saying it’s worth the consideration,” he said.
The city will host four more meetings on flooding:
1) Date: Tuesday, July 1
Location: Feeding Tampa Bay (3624 Causeway Blvd.)
2) Date: Monday, July 7
Location: Babe Zaharias Golf Course Clubhouse (11412 N. Forest Hills Dr.)
3) Date: Monday, July 14
Location: Adum K-8 Magnet School (4210 W Bay Villa Ave.)
4) Date: Tuesday, July 15
Location: TPD Rich House (3305 N. Avon Ave.)
Each meeting runs from 6:00-7:30 p.m.
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