Areas of Pine Island are still underwater

With the devastation of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee many of the farms in the Black Dirt Region have ruined crops and extensive flood damage. Since those devastating storms in September, Pine Island has continued to see rain and on most occasions very heavy rain. Attached is an aerial photo DeBuck’s Sod Farm located off of Mission Land Road in Pine Island. As of Oct. 4 when this picture was taken, about 80 percent of the sod farm was still flooded. Pine Island Turf Nursery, the neighboring farm to DeBuck’s, had about 90 percent of its farm underwater. There is a larger question at hand: Why do these floods keep happening and what needs to be done to prevent the loss of millions of dollars into the Orange County economy. Gregory DeBuck Pine Island