![]() ![]() "It generally takes from 24 to 48 hours, so we tend to see a bit of a lag between that heavy rain and the river flooding, which is contrary to aerial flooding or flash flooding you would receive during a heavy rainfall event," he said.īut Austin said it can still be a week before levels return to normal. ![]() That's because the worst flooding usually takes place after storms pass through. Marc Austin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Ruskin, said residents may be able to dry out soon. They've had food brought in from several restaurants, and people from the nearby Fishhawk community donated money, food and cleaning supplies.Īnd it may not last much longer. Still, both Maiorana and Zeman say disasters like this seem to bring out the best in people. "But now we're about knee deep right this minute." We couldn't even touch the ground," he said. "When it first come up, it went all the way up to the stop sign. Nearby, resident Phillip Maiorana was busy picking up trash that had floated onto their street. But then, it never sets in 'til afterwards." You know it's coming, you know there's a possibility. And this is the third flood I've been through out here. She pointed to her son's house, where he was busy dumping soggy carpet onto his front porch. The National Weather Service reports it's now just over 17 feet above sea level.īut that drop is of little consolation to Wendy Zeman. And around the Tampa Bay area, rivers reaching flood stage on Friday included the Anclote in Pasco County, the Hillsborough and Little Manatee rivers in Hillsborough County the Withlacoochee in Pasco and Hernando counties the Myakka in Sarasota County and the Peace River in Hardee and DeSoto counties.īack in Hillsborough, the Alafia River has crested at 23 feet and is gradually falling. The Santa Fe River northwest of Gainesville threatened to close down Interstate 75, just as evacuees from Irma are streaming back home. This scene - where Rose Street disappears into black water - is repeated on River Drive and several other streets jutting into the Alafia from Lithia-Pinecrest Road. "And my prayers are here, and I'm just hoping everybody's going to be safe." ![]() "We had 28 years in dealing with this," she said. Now, Chadwick lives far from the fickle Alafia, in Wimauma. Hillsborough County bought her land, she said, so they could return it to its natural role as a floodplain. "I've been through this too many times - and I moved the hell out," she said with a laugh. She shakes her head and said she'd have to come back to check on her later - it was impassable.Ĭhadwick's used to this scene - she lived across the Alafia River on Josie Lane for 28 years. It’s there that Nanci Chadwick gazes at the water and mud separating her from her daughter's home on Rose Street. Even though Hurricane Irma is well behind us, many neighborhoods remain several feet underwater - including one along the Alafia River near Lithia. ![]()
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