MANATEE COUNTY, FLA, (WFLA) — Frustrations from residents in Manatee County are growing as cleanup efforts continue following the aftermath of Hurricane Debby.
Residents who live in the Lakewood Ranch neighborhood claimed the county could have done a better job at notifying them about the potential threat of flooding.
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“My entire house had to be gutted,” resident Victoria Ormsby said. “I do have some tile flooring that looks like it will be okay but my all of my bedrooms, the flooring will have to come up,”
Homeowners like Ormsby claimed it wasn’t the storm that flooded their homes.
She claimed her home flooded after Manatee County officials released water from the Manatee Lake Dam as a precaution. Ormsby said it made matters worse.
“At the expense of 135 houses because my house, personally every single room, had approximately 6 to 8 inches of water in it,” she said.
However, Manatee County officials said the lake did not have anything to do with the flooding in Lakewood Ranch.