10/1/2020
Town leadership visited the Oakland-Tildenville Cemetery today with members of the Cemetery Board to assess the grounds. Water levels have now nearly full receded. A pump remains on site to continue to remove any remaining water from the area.
We have been in contact with Pulte Homes and their engineer, St. Johns River Water Management District, and the Florida Department of Transportation in order to formulate a permanent fix for the drainage issues. We are committed to working toward a resolution with property owners, community members and state agencies.
The Town has graded approximately 75% of the unpaved roads damaged by intense rains Sunday, with six major impacted roads now repaired. Work will resume tomorrow until complete.
Public Works staff are clearing culverts to prepare for future rains. Culverts can become clogged when slow-moving or stagnant water deposits sediment into pipes. Regular maintenance of culverts allows for proper drainage during periods of heavy rainfall.
9/30/2020
Town of Oakland leadership continues to assess the Oakland-Tildenville Cemetery site.
At this time, most of the water has been pumped out of the cemetery or has receded, with the exception of the lowest lying area at the center. Upon finding a potential source of runoff into the cemetery on Tuesday, the Town plugged a drainage culvert on the east side of the development’s driveway along the State Road 50 right of way. This should significantly reduce or eliminate flooding until a permanent long-term fix can be engineered and constructed.
Town officials are continuing to work with our partners to determine the specific cause of the flooding that occurred Sunday evening. We are committed to working toward a resolution with property owners, community members and state agencies.
9/29/2020
The Town met with the Oakland-Tildenville Cemetery Board today to express our sincere apologies for the pain the community has suffered due to the flooding, to hear their concerns and to let them know the steps the Town is taking to help fix this complex issue.
The Town will host a community meeting with family members of those interred at the cemetery at a date to be announced.
Pulte Homes has been continually pumping at the site after the Town received 4.4 inches of rain overnight Sunday and experienced a flash flood.
During an additional 1.5 inches of rain yesterday, Town staff noticed a potential contributing factor to the flooding and plugged a pipe which had been installed as part of the development.
We are committed to working with the Pulte Homes and jurisdictional permitting agencies to find a swift and permanent solution to the flooding issue at the Oakland-Tildenville Cemetery.
9/28/2020
The Town experienced significant flash flooding Sunday night, washing out some of our unpaved roads. Please know that the Town is working diligently to grade five miles of these storm-damaged roads.
The Oakland-Tildenville Cemetery has experienced flooding due to significant rains. The Town is working closely with Tildenville Missionary Baptist Church, the owner of the Oakland-Tildenville Cemetery, to ensure a permanent solution is found to the flooding issue. The Town takes this matter very seriously, as the Oakland-Tildenville Cemetery is a resting place for many of our community's beloved family members.
This cemetery experienced flooding due to significant rains. The Town recorded 4.14 inches of rainfall in approximately two hours, with 3 inches coming down between 8 and 9 p.m. last night. The ground had already been saturated from more than 4 inches of rain during the past month, and low-lying areas were inundated when the storm passed through.
Pulte, the owner of the neighboring development and adjacent road, is pumping water from the low-lying cemetery. Town staff has been on scene offering emergency assistance to the developer. Pumps had been previously installed by the developer but failed last night due to the flash flooding. We now know more needs to be done. Due to the serious and sensitive nature of this flooding issue, the Town has called upon the developer to swiftly work on a permanent solution. Pulte Homes has expressed it is committed to providing a permanent solution to the flooding.