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Sun shines as Anclote River crests in Pasco

 
After a night in a hotel following days of heavy rain and flooding, Doug Caple, left, tows his wife, Erica; daughter, Anabel; and dog, Buck, head home along Creek Drive in Elfers on Tuesday morning as the Anclote River swirls through flooded streets.
After a night in a hotel following days of heavy rain and flooding, Doug Caple, left, tows his wife, Erica; daughter, Anabel; and dog, Buck, head home along Creek Drive in Elfers on Tuesday morning as the Anclote River swirls through flooded streets.
Published Aug. 5, 2015

NEW PORT RICHEY — When the rain stopped falling Monday night, Georgia Green thought her house along State Road 54 might escape the floodwaters.

But when she woke up Tuesday morning, the swollen Anclote River had surrounded her home and flooded the lower level. A foot of water in her garage ruined a new pool table she had yet to install, as well as piles of other stored belongings. Several inches of water flooded a back bedroom and Green's laundry room.

"What the hell," she said. "This is crazy."

Sun shone over the Tampa Bay area on Tuesday, but residents in flooded portions of Pasco County discovered they might not see much relief for several days.

The Anclote, which winds through the southwestern part of the county, crested at 25.2 feet Tuesday afternoon and was expected to begin receding Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service. The river was not expected to drop below 24 feet, which is considered major flood stage, until late this afternoon. The mandatory evacuation order issued Monday remained in effect for Anclote River Estates and the Elfers area.

As many as 5,700 properties could be in the flood areas, Annette Doying, emergency management director for the county, said Tuesday morning. More than 800 Pasco homes were without power Tuesday.

Brad and Jacci Smith and their 14-year-old son, Jeremy, waded through several feet of water on Elfers Parkway on Tuesday, carrying water pumps to their home on Streamside Lane. A foot of water filled the lower level, damaging cabinets and appliances.

The family was prepared, Brad Smith said. After experiencing flooding during Tropical Storm Debby in 2012, they got rid of their drywall and installed tile on all floors. They recently wrapped the lower level of their home in plastic.

"It's like a bathtub," Smith said.

Tony Meadows' home on Selkirk Street at Elfers Parkway was surrounded with more than a foot of water Tuesday, with 6 inches on his porch. A storage garage filled with his grandmother's antique furniture and other belongings was flooded with several feet of water when the river rushed directly through it, causing a refrigerator to nearly float away.

"This is going to kill us," said Meadows, who is unemployed and seeking disability benefits for his back problems. "Everybody we know is affected by this."

Authorities also evacuated residents from Oaks View Apartments in New Port Richey before dawn Tuesday because of flooding. The river had risen over a fence, filling the parking lot with about a foot of water that rose halfway up the tires of the few parked cars.

Jennifer Yopp, a resident at the apartments, said she and her mother, Bonnie Yopp, decided to stay behind with their pets. The Yopps' lower-level apartment was high enough to stay dry.

"I've seen hurricanes; I've seen tropical storms," Bonnie Yopp said. "I've never seen anything like this."

Even as county crews pumped water from flooded areas, water could continue to stand in some areas for weeks, Doying said. The land, she explained, is comprised of two types of basins: open and closed.

Open basins are sloped and allow water to cascade toward the Gulf of Mexico. They will dry the fastest, she said. Closed basins, like "cereal bowls," will keep water until it evaporates.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, several major roadways in the Tampa Bay area continued to struggle with standing water Tuesday, including State Road 54 near Rowan Road in Pasco.

Along SR 54, employees at All Pets Hospital watched the Anclote creep up and surround the back of the building Tuesday morning. Modern Moose Studios, a tattoo shop, had to close for the day because of 2 feet of floodwater in its parking lot.

DiAnna Rawleigh, Pasco's public works manager, estimated that as of Monday about 2 miles of roads had been damaged throughout the county, with estimated repair costs at $1.1 million so far.

The county estimated that the cities of New Port Richey, Port Richey and the Pasco Sheriff's Office had spent a combined $600,000 on the flooding between July 31 and midday Tuesday. All told, public works crews erected up to 770 barricades to mark the standing water along Pasco's roads.

County officials said they identified minor structural damage from high water to 100 privately owned properties since July 31.

The American Red Cross was providing shelter to 38 evacuated residents in Pasco as of Tuesday evening. County officials decided to consolidate shelters and take all evacuees to the Mike Fasano Regional Hurricane Shelter in Hudson.

The improved weather outlook is expected to continue today.

Jim Van Fleet, WTSP 10Weather meteorologist, predicted brief morning showers along the coast and scattered afternoon thunderstorms east of Interstate 75.

Staff Writers Zachary T. Sampson and C.T. Bowen contributed to this report. Contact Samantha Schmidt at (813) 435-7308 or sschmidt@tampabay.com. Follow @schmidtsam7.