Miami-Dade water utility workers to help Fort Myers Beach repair infrastructure
MIAMI - In addition to clearing roads and restoring electricity, crews on the state's southwest coast impacted by Hurricane Ian are trying to get the water flowing again.
Residents in more than 22 Florida counties don't have clean running water. Boil Water Notices have been issued for 120 areas after damage from Ian, according to the Florida Department of Health.
On Friday, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava was on hand as more than 20 water utility professionals from the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD) left for the coast.
"It's heartbreaking it's a war zone," she said.
These workers, who are specialized in different fields, will assist the Ft. Myers Beach water utility to repair damage to their infrastructure.
"We know they have leaks throughout their system, we know they have catastrophic damage. We've had a front team there assessing, we're gonna begin today and try and repair their system to try and get water established as soon as possible," said Water and Sewer Dept. Director Roy Coley.
For the next week, they will assist in re-establishing water services by evaluating the water distribution system and repairing leaks. They will also help troubleshoot and repair two critical booster stations.
The Miami-Dade team is prepared. They're traveling with their own supplies and vehicles including two dump trucks, two trailers, two compressors, and two backhoes, as well as their own diesel fuel truck.
"We know where buildings have been destroyed, pipelines have been pulled out of the ground, that the water will be leaking so much there's no way to keep up with it," said Coley.
He said they'll be fixing sections at a time.
They will have rotating crews, 20 people at a time, working seven days a week.
"We're great to have been spared and it's our job to lend a helping hand," said Levine Cava.
Water is crucial to recovery.
"The city can't start rebuilding without water. Their hospitals need water, any effort for construction needs water to rebuild," said Coley.
As long as the need continues, he said they'll keep sending crews out.