Hogans Creek residents brace for potential flooding

Area just north of downtown could experience flooding along Myrtle Avenue

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Several residents in the Hogans Creek neighborhood, just north of downtown Jacksonville, are bracing for the severe weather forecast to hit Florida this week.

The area experiences a lot of flooding, especially along Myrtle Avenue. There are four separate drains along the road, yet residents like Victor Negron, have had a drainage problem for years when storms hit.

"We have these drains here. This one, we have that one on that side. And then we have that one over there. And we have the fourth one over there. Still, something is wrong," Negron said. "If it rains hard, you get plenty of water here."

Negron, who is a contractor, said he's aware of the tropical threat but he just hopes the flooding won't get too high. If it does, he said, it could cost him upward of $4,000 to repair. 

"If it gets higher than that wall, higher than the hole on the wall, then I'll be in trouble because then it goes under the house," Negron said. 

Antonio Colbert, who also lives on Myrtle Avenue, told News4Jax that the flooding has been so bad, he's seen cars ruined. 

"It actually got stuck right here. It was stuck right here for a while though," Colbert said. "Somebody had to actually come behind him, like a truck, and pushed him out of the way." 

Residents said the city of Jacksonville has addressed the issue several times, but it hasn't helped. Many residents said they don't even plan on preparing for the severe weather, they just hope the flooding does not pass their expectations. 

"If it gets higher than that, and I will be in trouble because all the humidity will mess up all the beams down there. But I'm lucky because, so far, it didn't do it," Negron said.