JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Historic neighborhoods are old, that's part of their beauty. When the neighborhood ages so does the infrastructure.
That's what is happening in Riverside and Avondale. These two historic neighborhoods in Jacksonville have been experiencing more frequent flooding. The outskirts of Tropical Storm Cristobal created severe flooding for the area blocking off roads.
City Council member Randy DeFoor represents the area. She was born and raised in these neighborhoods and knows that the issue isn't new.
“This is a very very old system and we are seeing age and decay," DeFoor said.
Work will be done soon to help alleviate the issues. DeFoor says they are installing a one way valve at the end of Stockton Street to help with the flow of floodwater.
The valve will allow water to flow into the river, but will stop river water from flowing into the streets. She says there will be three additional valves put in the area, but she did not give exact locations.
“The money is already allocated and those systems are being produced and should be installed in the next month," DeFoor said.
She said some areas they’ll have to look into putting a pump system in some areas.
"In the Willobranch area, we are working on a bulkhead project but unfortunately the contractor there apparently managed to block the drainage," DeFoor said. "That is why the Willobranch area flooded."
Riverside Avondale Preservation is a nonprofit organization helping to preserve the area. Executive Director Warren Jones is asking for people to take photos of flooding and send it to them at info@riversideavondale.org.
He wants to use the photos to document and map out the problem areas.
"It is an issue that we really need to address with the city as quickly as we can," Jones said.
He is working with the councilwoman to fix the issue. They've seen what the outskirts of a tropical storm can do, but we are now in hurricane season and the flooding could get much worse if nothing is done.