LAKELAND, Fla. — About 170 homes at Light and Life Mobile Home Park saw up to 7 feet of water enter their homes, during Hurricane Milton last year.
“This was like white water rapids, over where you can see the drainage ditchis there,” said Jayme Sinsmyr.
Sinsmyr said the water came up to her chest. “I woke up and I was in shock, that there was so much water,” she said.
WATCH: Lakeland police become certified in swift water rescue following Hurricane Milton flooding
ABC Action News came out to the 55-plus community in the immediate days following Milton. Neighbors recalled how they had to rescue each other from their flooded homes.
“There was a husband and wife that came out and the water was up to there on them, so they had to walk them out,” Sinsmyr said.
During Hurricane Milton, Lakeland saw record flooding in neighborhoods that had never flooded before.
“We had water intrusion into homes, trailers, into cars. So, as we were working through the night and doing rescues with the citizens, we realized that we were not properly trained for the mission that we were handling,” said Sgt. Tyler Anderson, with the Lakeland Police Dive Team.
Members of the Lakeland Police Department Dive Team were recently certified in the areas of water rescue, high-water rescue, and swift water rescue.
The training in North Carolina included a 140,000-gallon pool that has the ability to create running currents and simulate nighttime and severe weather conditions.
“The flow is extremely realistic. It's stronger than what we would ever experience here. They can also put vehicles, culverts, and other items in the water so that we can put simulated victims in the water,” said Anderson.
In addition to training, new inflatable rescue boats, protective and rescue equipment were purchased for the dive team.
“We’re going to be able to get them into properly equipped or provided equipment that we need to get them back safely ashore or to a vehicle and also it’s going to be beneficial to me and my team members because we know how to properly handle ourselves in the water now,” Anderson said.
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
