Water from a nearby pond overflows into Beverly Manor Estates, which has been mostly been high and dry.
By STEPHEN HEGARTY, MOLLY MOORHEAD and CHASE SQUIRES
Published September 9, 2004
ZEPHYRHILLS - With Frances' worst and wettest days now in the past, many Pasco County residents finally saw floodwaters start to recede on Wednesday.
But the water had to go somewhere.
County rivers, roads and some back yards were full of moving water. Water flowed out of some areas and into others. For some residents, flooding nightmares were just the beginning.
The homes in Beverly Manor Estates came out of the storm in fine shape. By 6 p.m. Monday, the storm had done its worst and Bob Anderson's home on Tammy Lane was high and dry. Sure, the pond behind Anderson's home was filling up, but his two-story home full of antiques and collectibles was safe.
Then the floodwaters started moving in.
"By 8 o'clock (Monday) we started moving some dirt; we were trying to block it," Anderson said Wednesday. "But we couldn't do a thing about it."
Over the course of five or six hours, a steady stream of water out of the northeast enveloped his property, forming a wide river between Tammy Lane and Arthur Drive.
The bottom floor of Anderson's home filled up with 2 feet of water.
Neighbor Keith Walton had to use a boat to get to his home. Walton barely avoided flooding in his home, which is 6 feet off the ground. He lost his dog, Tyra, in the flooding and confusion.
Across the water, neighbor Christina Heimes estimated the edge of Anderson's pond had moved some 120 yards up near her home.
High as the water was, it appeared to be receding on Wednesday. The stone lions in front of Anderson's home, totally submerged a day before, had poked their heads above the water.
The water was moving, alright. Cars driving along New River Road, south of State Road 54, passed over a fast-moving stream of water going from the west side to the east side of the road.
Where was it going? And which neighborhood might be on the receiving end downstream?
"This morning when I drove out, there was no water on Sandy Drive - now look," said John Harrison as he drove his truck through 21/2 feet of dark water.
Harrison lives in an area on the edge of Zephyrhills just south of Chancey Road, a few miles southwest of Beverly Manor Estates. All day Wednesday, the area filled up with deep water. It was adding insult to injury for Harrison and his wife Sue. They have been without water since Sunday morning.
"After the storm I thought "We're just a little inconvenienced. We don't have electricity. Some don't have homes,' " Sue Harrison said. "Then the flooding started, and I'm thinking "What's next?' "
With the lack of power, the Harrisons' well isn't working. So there's no running water, no showers. To flush the toilet, they scoop water out of their above-ground swimming pool. It takes 3 gallons to get a good flush.
The water flowing into the Harrisons' property seemed to be coming from a swollen pond in the Southport Springs community on the north side of Chancey Road. The nearby Indian Creek, just east of Sandy Drive, would be expected to take much of the water.
"Eventually, it'll all end up in the Hillsborough River," Harrison said. "But it'll take weeks for this to go."
The Hillsborough River, the likely destination for much of the moving water, flooded in some areas on Wednesday, Pasco County officials reported. Yet, water did not reach residents' doorsteps in the Crystal Springs area.
Even though there were warnings of "major flooding" on the river near Zephyrhills early Wednesday, after it reached 13.8 feet at 2 a.m, now predictions call for the water to continue receding. It is expected to fall below the flood stage on Friday.
Pat Burke, a 15-year Crystal Springs resident, said any river flooding usually affects homes downstream in Hillsborough County.
"It almost never threatens up here unless you live right on it," Burke said.
For several families who have been flooded or without power, the county's distribution centers have been a godsend.
The center at Sam Pasco Park on Chancey Road in Zephyrhills saw a steady stream of residents picking up bottled water, food and ice throughout the day.
The nondescript packages of ready-to-eat meals contained some surprisingly exotic fare: Thai chicken, vegetable manicotti, Cajun rice, beans and sausage.
At a nearby truck, volunteers from the Salvation Army in Hernando County supplemented the county supplies. They offered trail mix, doughnuts, bottled water and a hot serving of chicken stew.
Volunteer Sherrill Williams said they were giving out as much as people needed.
"However many they're asking for, that what we accommodate them with," she said.
Nicola St. Onge drove up with her son during the peak of the heat Wednesday. She said her home off Tucker Road still is without power, so the family is using a generator to run the refrigerator, television and a couple of fans. But it's getting expensive - the generator requires a gas fill-up every two hours.
St. Onge said her worries aren't over with Ivan lurking far to the south.
"If this one comes, we're just going to pack up and leave," she said. "It's been really hard on us."
The distribution center in Trilby also saw a steady stream of residents in need of the basics.
Community activist Denny Mihalinec was a sweating and smiling one-man welcoming committee at the Trilby Community Center. Waving a yellow cardboard sign, he directed passing motorists into the county distribution center, hoping to bring some comfort to his neighbors.
Free for the asking: water and military-style ready-to-eat meals.
Water, he said, is especially important in his rural community where many people have wells and depend on electric pumps to draw their water to the surface.
"We've had a steady stream of people through here," Mihalinec said. "People are getting tired. They're getting upset. They have had enough."
Scott Townsend rolled up in his old, green pickup truck. His daughter had four children back at the house and no water.
"It's been pretty bad, really," he said.
Standing by with Mihalinec was Juan Garay, pastor of Trilby United Methodist Church and the Community United Methodist Church of San Antonio.
He said he wanted to offer an ear to residents who are starting to fray under the hot conditions.
"Basically, I'm just hear to listen and to tell them the community, the church, is here for them," Garay said. "God can conquer all things. You just have to be patient."
Nearby, at another distribution center, Stanley Park operator Dallas Snyder had a crew doling out meals, water, precious ice. There was even a portable shower operation set up. Snyder said he took advantage of the showers Wednesday before getting down to work. Working with him was a crew from the Pasco County jail. Wearing black and white striped jail uniforms, the inmates handed supplies to motorists as they drove through the queue.
Jimmy Gasper pulled up in his pickup. He needed water because the Withlacoochee River was drawing near his Pinkston Road home, threatening to contaminate his well.
"That river is getting close," he said. "It's nasty."
River flooding didn't affect a large number of Pasco residents in the northeast corner. There are few homes in the area, much of the river crosses into the Green Swamp.
And at the Sawmill Campground, a traditional target for flooding, things weren't so bad Wednesday.
Manager Frank Zavodsky said a few stored trailers had to be moved to higher ground, but there was no damage.
