Frustrations grow as floodwaters have nowhere to go in Pasco County

ZEPHRYHILLS, Fla. (WFLA) — Nearly a week after Hurricane Milton many homes are still surrounded by flood water in Zephyrhills, and it’s going nowhere fast.

Governor Ron DeSantis spoke in Zephyrhills Tuesday about relief efforts as Pasco County deals with historic flooding.

On Tuesday flood waters still surrounded Richard Willoughby’s home in Pasco County.

“I’m all the way around. I’m washed out, so you just gotta live with it,” said Willoughby.

Willoughby said this is the first time there’s been water inside his home, and he’s still living in it.

“I got nowhere to go,” said Willoughby.

Adding to his frustration, the street in front of his house is washed away, yet drivers are still using it, and with every passing car more water rushes into his home.

“That’s just making it worse. Every time one of those trucks hits it, the roads washed out. It’s gone,” said Willoughby.

“You had huge amounts of rainfall. We had 300 civilians rescued by the Florida State Guard after becoming stranded in their neighborhoods due to rising river and flood waters here in Pasco. Obviously, the Sheriff’s Department has made a lot of water rescues,” said Governor DeSantis during a news conference.

State leaders stressed the threat isn’t over as some rivers are still rising. The state announced they are bringing in more pumps but at the moment there’s nowhere for the water to go.

“The Hillsborough River, the Withlacoochee River, and Alafia River are in flood stage, so we’re going to have to wait on those rivers to go down before we can start moving vast amounts of water,” said Kevin Guthrie, Florida Department of Emergency Management Director.

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