NORTH PORT, Fla. — The flooding continues in North Port three days after Hurricane Elsa made its way through the Tampa Bay area.
It’s affecting nearly 250 homes in North Port, and floodwaters are nearly four feet deep in certain areas.
“We had an enormous amount of rain, upwards of a foot in two or three hours during Elsa,” said Josh Taylor, Public Information Officer for the City of North Port.
Then the rain moved north, but any rain that falls from Myakka City south ends up right back downstream in North Port before exiting at Charlotte Harbor.
State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis deployed Florida’s Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 6 to help with rescue efforts needed during the flooding.
Currently, sweeper trucks and boats are driving through the city, helping those in need.
The water is nearly four feet deep in certain areas, and the City of North Port says this is looking to be their worst flooding event in more than 50 years.
“Nasty, snake water, so it seems to be rising pretty quickly, so we’re just watching out for that,” said Michelle Jones, who lives in North Port.
Michelle and her family moved to North Port a year ago from the Florida Panhandle, so they’re used to storms.
“But this type of flooding on our residential street is new,” said Jones.
And just up the street is Chuck Lowery. He’s putting the finishing touches on his home before he moves in.
“It never had a moat. I mean, they didn’t even charge me extra for a moat,” said Chuck Lowery, who recently moved to North Port.
Luckily the flooding throughout the city has not gotten inside any homes at this point. But officials expect the water will likely rise before it recedes.
“We have a chance of rain this afternoon into the weekend, so where that rain falls can have different impacts,” said Taylor.
The city is hopeful this will all be gone within the next week. But for now, they’ve opened a shelter and a helpline, and they’ve got sweeper trucks and boats moving through rescuing people who are stuck in their homes.
If you need assistance during the flooding in North Port, you can call the helpline at 941-429-7169. They’re open until 7 p.m.
You can also pick up sandbags at the George Mullen Activity Center near North Port City Hall.
