MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – Middleburg residents had to use boats to leave their homes because of flooding caused by Tropical Storm Debby.
Debby has moved away from Northeast Florida but left serious flooding that has yet to recede.
The storm dumped enough rain to cause Black Creek to overflow into the low-lying community along Lazy Acres Road.
Neighbors said it always floods during big storms and it’s usually manageable, but this was more than expected.
“I feel like if you overprepare, it never comes, but if you underprepare, it always comes, kind of like this,” Breanna Cleland said. “It doesn’t come slow. It always comes fast.”
The Latest: Tropical Storm Debby churns off the US Southeast
Michelle Miller said storms like these are unpredictable.
“Normally it’s not too bad because it just comes up in the yard a little,” Miller said. “But when a storm like this comes around, it’s unpredictable and it goes over the land, so it causes problems. This is the third time in 25 years.”
Many of the homes on Lazy Acres Road are on stilts, but residents have to walk through water to leave their property.
The closer you get to Black Creek, the deeper the water gets, which caused people to leave their homes by boat.
“Anywhere from the corner down, you can’t walk,” Miller said. “It’s too deep. You have to use a boat.”
Some tried to ride their bicycles through the water but had to stop as the water got deeper.
The flooding has destroyed the homes of fire-ants and they are in the water as several residents were bitten.