JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The wind and rain that is expected to slam into the Jacksonville area this weekend is not just a concern along the coast, but also inland along the St. Johns River.
In Riverside on Friday it was so far so good. But you never know, the area can flood at a moment’s notice.
LIVE RADAR: Tracking showers ahead of heavy weekend rain, strong winds from Gulf low
Repair work is still underway at Riverside Park following the last summer’s storm and with heavy winds and rain expected this weekend, some people in the area said they are expecting more problems.
News4JAX also checked areas where flooding is already taking place and causing some problems.
Hogan’s Creek in the Springfield area usually floods when heavy rain comes. On Friday ahead of the storm, there was already flooding in the area. An SUV was stranded Friday after trying to drive through the standing water. This has been a problem in the area for years. It’s also an area that the city is looking at to make changes to keep flooding from happening, but it’s gonna take them some time.
Another area that traditionally floods is McCoy’s Creek, but changes have been made so it may no longer be a problem. The city has closed McCoy’s Creek Boulevard and that has allowed the water to spread out. Therefore, when those rains and floodwaters come, it has a place to go and is no longer a problem for motorists and for people who live in the area.
Eva Brown lives right off of the creek and said the changes have made a big difference.
“You could hardly get into your yard. It was so bad. Unless you had a boat and you could get up here but now it’s not a problem,” Brown said.
In San Marco, another area that traditionally floods, work is underway to add another pump station to help clear the water when the flooding occurs.
The rain will develop Saturday afternoon and increase in coverage throughout the day. The worst of the storms -- thunderstorms and the potential for tornadoes -- will be in the dark hours, starting late Saturday night through midday Sunday.
The city said there will be two Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department water rescue crews on standby this weekend. It said there will also be two road access teams available as well as JSO officers standing by.
JEA said it has also increased its on-call crews.