Flooding Remains As River Starts To Recede, Very Slowly

    As the St. Johns River in Astor continues its frustratingly slow retreat from record flood levels, recovery agencies have formalized a presence in town to support those impacted by the flood waters brought by Hurricane Ian.
   In coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the Lake County government opened a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) last Friday at the First Baptist Church of Astor, located at 24731 Ann St. in Astor. The Disaster Recovery Center will provide disaster survivors with information from Florida state agencies, FEMA, and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
     Residents can get help applying for federal assistance and disaster loans, update applications, and learn about other resources available.
     SBA representatives are available to assist business owners, homeowners, renters, and non-profits with questions about the SBA's disaster loan program, explain the application process, help understand the documentation required, assist with completing the electronic loan application, and more. Some products available through SBA are Business Physical Disaster Loans, Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), and Home Disaster Loans.
     Operators at the site last Friday reported a brisk response, with several dozen locals seeking assistance during the office’s first few days of operations.
   It is not necessary for residents to visit the center to apply, however. Interested applicants can go online to disasterassistance.gov, use the FEMA mobile app or call 800-621-3362. The line is open every day from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone, or other services, give FEMA the number for that service.
     In Astor, the church site is accessible to people with disabilities and has assistive technology equipment that allows disaster survivors to interact with staff. Service dogs are welcome. Video Remote Interpreting is available and in-person sign language is available by request. The center also has accessible parking, ramps, and restrooms.
   Elsewhere, the response to Ian has entered a new phase. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office wound down its mobile response presence late last week, removing a large emergency response trailer from the Baptist church’s parking lot, with the office handling its operations in town through its regular channels going forward.
   The river’s expected slide from record flood levels arrived as hoped over the weekend, though progress was slower than initially hoped. While the river receded over the weekend, it remained in what the US Geological Survey considers ‘major’ flooding. The river never fell below 4.2 feet above flood stage, and is now expected to remain at four feet or above into Saturday. Only when the river falls below that four-foot mark will it be considered to be in ‘moderate’ flood stage.
   Indeed, over the weekend many streets remained covered near the river, homes were still being impacted, and public boat ramps in the area remained closed. The vast majority of area boaters have heeded the call to stay off the river during the flood to avoid potential injury from sunken docks or causing damage to homes from boat wakes. However, at least one report over the weekend indicated some Orlando-area jet ski groups had returned to the river.