PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Hundreds of Pasco County residents living in mandatory evacuation zones were filled with fear as many of their homes filled with floodwaters Thursday night into Friday morning.
Many neighbors tried to escape, some only making it as far as U.S. 19 to sit on the side of the road waiting for someone to rescue them.
There were a lot of people who heeded the warnings for historic flooding, but the belief it wouldn’t be “that bad” seemed as widespread as the destruction.
It was an all-hands-on-deck effort to rescue people like 85-year-old Gail Moon, who felt like time was running out.
“I saw the light, and I started screaming help, help, help, help,” said Moon.
Moon said it felt like heaven when six good samaritans from local businesses came to her to save her life in the flood.
“It came within 5 minutes. It went from flat to here [her neck] in five minutes.”
Moon lives in a condo on Marine Parkway in New Port Richey. She said her landlord told her it has never flooded.
There was a similar story across the street in Hudson Beach where a 26-year business owner had tears in his eyes when he finally made it to his hotel Friday morning.
“It never flooded,” said Mike Malacos. “There’s always a first for everything right.”
Such a catastrophe sent funeral home contractors on a mission to find out how they would navigate through floodwaters to retrieve the bodies of people’s loved ones.
During our interview, a transformer blew out in a neighborhood filled with flooded waters in New Port Richey.
Many people did listen when they were told to go, but leaving without proper preparation left some with nothing.
“She’s in tears. She can’t even believe it,” Deanna Ris’ said about her mother. “She literally didn’t even take sentimental things so her entire life is gone.”
Hudson Beach neighbors are trying to stay strong.
“She was a Girl Scout ranger for over 20 years and gave her life to the community and helped everybody,” said Ris. “So for stuff like this to happen when she just moves out here to her dream retirement home it’s heartbreaking for sure.”
Some businesses in the Hudson Beach area said they expect to have power back by Monday.
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