Residents pleading for help getting to flooded homes in Zephyrhills

ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. (WFLA) — Hurricane Milton may seem long gone, but some Zephyrhills residents are pleading for help as they are still unable to get access to their flooded homes.

“We were really prepared for this hurricane, and I never in 1 million years thought that this was going to happen, ever,” said Barbara Rosa, who lives in Zephyrhills.

As of Wednesday, Rosa’s home on Ionno Court was still surrounded by floodwaters.

“Everything was lost, cars, the house, everything,” said Rosa.

With each passing day, the situation grows more desperate.

“We can’t take anything out, we can’t go in the house, the water is just stuck there,” said Rosa. “The water has been there for six days, so now it’s starting to get, I don’t know, it smells bad.”

Down the street, dozens of businesses are closed because of the historic flooding.

Neighbors behind the plaza are stuck because the only access road is flooded.

“All of these people are stranded here. Some of these people are not in really great shape for dealing with that out here, especially our elderly,” said Matthew Grgich.

8 On Your Side reached out to Pasco County officials to find out what can be done to help this community.

A spokesperson said they are looking into it, and the address would be passed along to public works crews. County officials added that once water levels in the rivers recede, they will be ready to assist in further pumping efforts.

These neighbors said they don’t feel like a priority.

“They’re just worrying about the nice area, not our area,” said Rosa.

“The infrastructure has not kept up for the building, and unfortunately, some of us outlying communities are the bottom of the totem pole for who they care about,” said Grgich.

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