It didn't take a tropical storm or a hurricane to bring an abrupt end to the brush fire season in Volusia County. Mother Nature had her own plans as she dropped nearly 30 inches of rain in some East Volusia County communities the week of May 18. With more than $68 million in damage reported to homes and public buildings, the unnamed rainfall event is the third costliest natural disaster in the county's history behind Hurricanes Charley and Frances in 2004.

The areas hardest hit by the rainfall event were Ormond Beach, Holly Hill, Daytona Beach, Port Orange and New Smyrna Beach, many areas that are in the district of newest County Council Member Josh Wagner.

“When the rains kept coming, day after day, I was convinced my entire district was under water,” said Wagner, district 2 representative. “As the days passed, I knew the damage was indeed significant, but I also realized the system was working to respond to people in need. The response was measured, but impressive. In the end, I was pleased with how the agencies worked together to bring relief to our citizens as soon as they could.”

Damage assessments show Volusia County has 1,890 properties that have been damaged or destroyed by the May flooding event. These figures include 1,109 single-family homes, 509 mobile homes, 178 multi-family units, and 94 commercial properties. Reported damage to government facilities and infrastructure is estimated at $9,777,100. Once the clouds parted and the sun shined again in late May, state and local officials realized the success of the many partnerships between human services agencies, cities, the county, state Emergency Management officials and FEMA that made response quick and effective.

“We've had our share of disasters in Volusia County, but we are quick learners,” said Joie Alexander, Volusia County Council Vice-chair. “The level of response and the cooperation we saw between cities, the county and other agencies for this event made me proud. Our citizens are much better off because of those organized efforts.”

Volusia County Property Appraiser Morgan Gilreath said he witnessed unprecedented cooperation between the state, federal and local damage assessment teams in assessing the effects of the recent significant rainfall in the county. “We really worked together to get the money flowing,” said Gilreath. “We focused on finalizing the process more quickly. We all know the quicker these assessments are made, the quicker the relief will come to the citizens who desperately need it.” Click here for full newsletter [PDF]     previous edition >>