ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. (WFLA) — Historic river flooding associated with Hurricane Milton prompted voluntary evacuations in Pasco County Friday.
County officials asked people in the following locations to find higher ground immediately:
- Elfers
- Cypress Creek at Worthington Gardens
- Thousand Oaks
- Everyone in low-lying areas or areas prone to flooding
Debbie Murray’s home in Zephyrhills was sitting in feet of water.
She prepared. She filled the sandbags, put up tarps and lots of duct tape, but with enough water, there isn’t much anyone can do.
“Well, we just saw the water keep leaking in and the big bangs and it was the trees falling into the house,” she said. “They came and cut the trees away so we came out of the side window.”
It’s a cautionary tale across Pasco County, that even inland can flood.
“It kept getting higher and higher then sure enough, we were just kind of stuck,” Yasemin Akbas said.
Her front yard is also underwater.
Akbas’s neighbors across the street say in their 20 years here, this neighborhood had never flooded.