ISTACHATTA - The water-logged residents of Istachatta have seen the Withlacoochee River creep deliberately up to their homes before, so the threat of more water in addition to what's already here is not any different.
Right?
Well, in the 18 years since Marion Pitts and her husband, Larry, have lived on Peterson Camp Road, a swath of marshlands straddling the river, they said they have never seen anything like this.
"It is higher now than it ever has been," said Marion Pitts, who is also the acting post master at the Istachatta post office. "The water isn't coming in yet, but give it a couple of inches before it does."
That was the sentiment of those who live near the Withlacoochee River and of county officials who assert that flooding caused by Hurricane Jeanne will get worse before it eases up.
That's why emergency management officials Friday warned residents in the Lake Geneva area, in the southeastern section of the county, of impending flooding along the river and in low-lying areas.
For the Pittses, their three-bedroom mobile home is completely surrounded by water.
Since Hurricane Frances, the waters of the Withlacoochee have risen and fallen, serving as a barometer for fettered nerves. And since then, the couple has been living out of their recreational vehicle parked on the driveway.
The Pittses were headed out of town this weekend and feared that when they returned the water would have reached their living room floor.
Before they left, they floated their pontoon boat toward the mobile home to cart away some of their belongings and appliances that could not be elevated.
"How do you keep your sanity?" Marion Pitts said. "Oh well, that is what you have flood insurance for. I will be here tomorrow if I am not floating down the river."
The Withlacoochee River at the gauge in Trilby was more than 4 feet above flood stage at 10 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service's Southeast River Forecast Center near Atlanta.
At the current river level, the weather agency reported flooding in several areas throughout eastern Hernando County, including Talisman Estates and Nobleton.
Water also hovered over the bridge at Clay Sink Road and State Road 575 in Ridge Manor. Several other roadways, campsites, and businesses were underwater. And at least one home on Cercelia Road was isolated.
Hydrologist Wylie Quillian said the Withlacoochee is expected to stay at its current level of 16.4 feet through Tuesday, making it the sixth highest river level recorded at the Trilby location.
The last time the river gauge at Tribly recorded a higher level was Aug. 5, 1960, at 17.25 feet. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the highest level recorded was 20.38 feet on June 21, 1934.
However, by Wednesday residents in affected areas should expect the river to recede - slowly.
"The Withlacoochee is definitely slower than other rivers to recede," said Quillian, explaining that the river is in a large swampy basin that takes time to respond to torrential rainfall.
Melissa Fischer and her husband, Jesse Castleberry, are making use of the time before the river crests. Heeding the warning that additional flooding is anticipated at Lake Geneva, they traveled to her mother's house on Lakewood Drive in Ridge Manor around 7 a.m. Saturday to prepare for what's to come.
Evelyn Holt, Fischer's mother, is 73. Lake Geneva has been a concern since Hurricane Frances.
"The water has not gotten into the house, but it will soon," said Castleberry, 36, who traveled from Winter Haven.
They quickly found the sandbag station at the Ridge Manor Community Center, and by 12 p.m. Saturday they had filled 80 bags with sand.
"Forty more will do," said Fischer, a 36-year-old Cape Coral resident.
Should Lake Geneva rise any further, Fischer and Castleberry plan to take Holt to a relative's house in Webster.
Holt does not want to go. But now after the lake soaked into the shed attached to her single-family home, she may not have any other choice.
"God is in control," Fischer said. "We just have to do what we can to control it."
