BARTOW, Fla. — People who live near the Peace River in Polk County are still waiting for flood waters to recede.
The river has made its way to the doorsteps of homes in a Bartow neighborhood, but one family is making the best out of a bad situation.
On a sunny day and clear skies, Eric Cornell thought it was a great afternoon to go fishing for some catfish.
“We saw three yesterday, right here. Right here, they’re butter cats. They’re about that big and the yellow belly,” Cornell said.
it’s a pastime he’s hoping to pass along to his daughter.
“She’s 13, she loves to do the fishing thing with daddy,” said Cornell.
They didn’t have to go far to do it. All he had to do was walk out his front door.
“We knew it was going to flood, it’s a flood zone and they said we were going to be safe. Well, I guess we were safe...by that much,” Cornell said.
The Peace River is now touching his front yard. Following Hurricane Ian, the river rose to levels no one in his community has ever seen before, leaving multiple roads under water. Allowing Cornell to fish in the middle of the street.
“This is like making something positive out of a big ol’ negative, ya know,” Cornell said.
Like many, he was bracing for the massive destruction the Category 4 storm could bring.
“We thought the roof was going to come off the house. We did. We heard the whistling through the cracks, and this a new home,” he said.
Cornell’s home is still intact, but he knows so many aren’t as fortunate.
“I feel bad for the other people. Folks out there that had to get out of their home. I know that home down there is flooded, but for all this madness, it feels good right now,” Cornell said.