- May 1, 2024
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A bird sits on a broken dock as a result of Hurricane Irma. Photo by Tim Briggs
City Manager Jake Johansson examines a refrigerator on the side of the road while assessing the damage from Hurricane Irma. Photo by Tim Briggs
Many boats were flooded as a result of Hurricane Irma. Photo by Tim Briggs
A stray stroller is found in the forest near the Halifax waterfront. Photo by Tim Briggs
Several power lines are down as a result of debris from fallen branches. Photo by Tim Briggs
A massive 60-year-old oak tree fell in front of the home of Terry Harper, a Port Orange resident of six years.
The roots were literally torn from the ground of Terry Harper's front yard from the wind gusts of Hurricane Irma. Photo by Tim Briggs
Terry Harper looks at his old oak tree, which fell directly onto his yard during Hurricane Irma. Photo by Tim Briggs
A fallen tree breaks through a fence as a result of Hurricane Irma. Photo by Tim Briggs
Terry Harper shows the damage from his backyard to City Manager Jake Johansson. Photo by Tim Briggs
Terry Harper suffered heavy damage to his home, including a fallen oak tree, flooding and a broken fence. Photo by Tim Briggs
A bird is perched on a fallen palm tree after Hurricane Irma. Photo by Tim Briggs
Hurricane Irma's winds were strong enough to rip stop signs from the ground. Photo by Tim Briggs
A tree falls onto the ends of the Cambridge Canal in Port Orange. Photo by Tim Briggs
A fence is broken at a local Port Orange farm. Photo by Tim Briggs
There's a lot of work to do to get Port Orange back to normal after Hurricane Irma.
Despite the lesser impact of the storm compared to other areas of Florida, Volusia County and Port Orange dealt with its fair share of damage.
"What I found out right away was that people are looking for comfort," Port Orange City Manager Jake Johansson said. "We’re in much better shape right now than we were 24 hours ago, and debris pickup is very important around the city."
Residents are encouraged to help pick up debris, which is scattered all around Port Orange in the form of twigs and larger branches, but more importantly, to be careful about how often water is used.
The city has around 150 stations dedicated to taking sewage, but according to Johansson, a lot of them have become inundated with flood water.
"We need to get the city infrastructure back running and ready to go, and people want to get their life back to normal quickly," Johansson said.
Port Orange man stunned by 60-year-old oak tree crashing in his front yard
Terry Harper has lived in Port Orange for six years, and his oak tree had lived there for 60.
During Hurricane Irma at around 12 a.m. during high tide, Harper looked out of his front door to find his massive oak tree down in his yard, just inches away from his house.
"I was lucky, I’m ten feet from my life right there," Harper said. "I walked back and my wife was downstairs, my daughter was upstairs and initially we just were stunned, but it was a tough situation to tell my daughter about. We got lucky that the water didn’t come in the house."
Harper also suffered from damage in his backyard. His chainlink fence was destroyed and there was a flood of water about six inches deep.
