Collier County preparing for future storms by buying generators, diesel pumps

Collier County say neighbors have a role to play in the event of a major storm—if the sewer system is down after a power outage, they’re asking you to use as little water as possible when it turns back on.

“We were unable to flush our toilets and shower and do all of those things because it was coming up in the streets,” said neighbor Larry Rasnick.

“It” means raw sewage.

“It was terrible, smelled awful,” Rasnick said.

After Hurricane Irma, the streets in Rasnick’s neighborhood were disgusting.

The county says when the water turned back on after Irma, the amount of people using water taxed the system. But this time around, the county bought 20 more generators and diesel pumps, in addition to more trailers filled with fuel to bring to generators.

“We didn’t wash clothes or anything,” Rasnick said.

Last year, the county asked neighbors to conserve their water, and that’s what leaders say others can do as well to help the problem.

“By conserving water, it puts less of a taxing on our system which allows us to catch up with our system and pump it into our plants,” said Steve Nagy with Collier County Wastewater Collections.

To prevent sewage overflow, the county is telling neighbors not to run your clothes or dishwashers, use less water while showering and wait until you’re given the OK to use the system after a major power outage.

“Now they know the capacity of what something like that can do, I think that they definitely have a better handle on what they have to do,” said neighbor Candice Kelley.

The county is also applying for a FEMA grant to buy over 50 more generators or diesel pumps to better prepare the area for future storms.