TAMPA, Fla. — If you've been listening to any of the 10 Tampa Bay meteorologists these past few days, you knew heavy rain was expected in the Bay area on Thursday as well as the next few days.
It appears the city of Tampa was listening.
In anticipation of the heavy rain, the city of Tampa stormwater crews were working throughout the morning on Thursday, checking flooding hotspots, making sure city pump stations were working, and draining ponds as much as possible. It's a short-term flooding solution they'll repeat on Friday.
As for the long-term solution, the city says it has several projects underway which address flooding relief across all of Tampa. Those include the South East Seminole Heights Flooding Relief Project, where they're installing new culverts and a stormwater pipe.
When it rains in his South Tampa neighborhood, Robert Thomann knows he may be crisscrossing the city on his drive home.
"You just kind of learn what streets to go down and what ones to avoid after a while," Thomann said.
He says dealing with such flooding has become part of his routine, which he says is a worthy sacrifice for living in the Bay area.
If you know of a flooding problem in Tampa that should be addressed, you're asked to call (813) 274-3101.
Across the bay in St. Petersburg, the Shore Acres neighborhood is notorious for flooding.
"It has been as high as waist deep out there on the road," Shore Acres resident Lon Ethington said. "We've had cars abandoned out here."
Lon said he has seen people kayak down his road when the flooding is serious.
Whenever heavy rain and flooding are forecast, he plans to hunker down at home.
"We stay prepared and we'd be fine stuck at home for a few days unless there was a medical emergency," Ethington said.
The city of St. Pete launched the Stormwater Master Plan in 2017, collecting data and public input about the drainage system and where it needs to be upgraded.
For those who live in flood-prone areas, they say those improvements can't come soon enough.