St. Cloud is on tap to get new and improved emergency equipment for hurricanes and severe weather.

During Thursday’s council meeting, state Sen. Kristen Arrington and state Rep. Paula Strake gave the city a $470,000 check. The funds will support two major projects that include a new water-filled dam system and a new fire boat.

In 2022, Hurricane Ian caused Lake Toho to reach high flood levels. While structures were mainly spared, roadways took a hit.

"We actually had to block off the outfalls for our ponds, and we had to pump around them to be able to do that," said Kevin Felblinger, St. Cloud public works director.

That process took the city several days to put dirt in place and several more days to remove it. The new water-filled dams, also known as tiger dams, will only take a few h

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