Historic Hurricane Irma Flooding In Jacksonville: Photos And Videos Of The Damage

Hurricane Irma left a path of destruction in its wake, and for Jacksonville, Florida, that meant historic flooding. The St. Johns River which flows through Florida’s largest city went up and over the city’s banks Monday as Irma, which at that point had become a tropical storm, brought increased rain and storm surges. The city started to see flood waters recede on Tuesday, but as of Wednesday parts of the city are still flooded. Meteorologists warn that there may be a second round of flooding.

According to officials, the flooding was “epic” and the river rose to levels not seen since 1846. As storm waters empty out from the Carolinas into the Atlantic Ocean, this city in northeastern Florida may see more flooding.

City officials called for evacuations Monday as the waters began to rise. Several hundred people who did not heed the warnings had to be rescued.

“We hope the 356 people who had their lives saved yesterday will take evacuation orders more seriously in the future,” wrote the Jacksonville sheriff’s office Tuesday.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry surveyed the damage from a helicopter Tuesday.

WATCH: Post-Irma flooding in Jacksonville as a Sheriff's Office dive team ventures out in search of people who need rescue. pic.twitter.com/RkNPgCj5o5

— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) September 12, 2017

“We are in recovery mode more than ever right now. But I am so grateful for what occurred yesterday,” Curry said to local news station WJXT. “The first responders just stood up and did their jobs. Neighbors helped each other. What I saw on the ground yesterday was nothing short of the definition of what being a human being should be all about.”

Scott echoed Curry’s sentiments.

“I can empathize with them. I mean, who wants to go through this?” Scott said to WJXT. “You feel sorry for people if they're standing in water and their home's devastated or the car is devastated or maybe they're they have to worry about their job. I mean, that's the human toll on this. You feel sorry for every one of those people. So as governor, my job is to protect every one of them. And get them back to normal as quickly as I can.”

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