LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — Residents in the Meadowbrook Mobile Home Park in Lakeland are cleaning up the mess left by Tropical Storm Emily.
One of the main roads in the park still looked like a river on Tuesday, a day after the heavy rains.
“It was just a few inches from being in the house,” Eyck Heppner said.
Neighbors tell News Channel 8 the flooding began around noon Monday as Tropical Storm Emily rolled through Polk County, and by the evening, waters had become very high as the banks of the nearby Itchepackesassa Creek overflowed.
Daniel Borgmeyer said the water quickly rose from a few inches, to complete mess.
“I ran to Lowe’s in Lakeland, came back, and by that time my lanai was underwater,” Borgmeyer said.
Borgmeyer and his wife said the park flooded last year and sewage spilled into the streets.
“Nobody wants to do anything about that creekline,” he said. “It’s very frustrating when you can’t get in and out of your own home, because there’s not proper drainage. That ditch line, I would say is maybe four foot deep. That ain’t going to hold back seven inches of water. It needs to be dredged, it needs to go deeper and wider.”
Residents tell News Channel 8 that not all of the floodgates to the creek were opened, which is why they believe it flooded so badly.
According to park officials, Southwest Florida Water Management District is to blame for not taking care of Itchepackesassa Creek.
News Channel 8 spoke with the public information officer with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, who said they are not sure if the creek is under their jurisdiction, but they plan to send someone to the site to see if there is anything that can be done.
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