PORT RICHEY, Fla. (WFLA) – Michael Sederquist thought he dodged a bullet. Hurricane Hermine was a distant memory, and while hundreds of homes in Pasco County suffered flood damage, his home was high and dry.
Until this weekend. Heavy rains pushed pumps in his Holiday Hills neighborhood past their limit. He heard a gurgling noise coming out of the bathroom on Sunday.
“This is where it started in here. Started filling up the toilet and the tub,” Sederquist said, pointing at the toilet. “Eventually as I said … Poured out … Started coming out here…”
Sederquist, who lives in the home with his 69-year-old grandmother, couldn’t do anything about it. He called the county and started recording with his smartphone.
The foul contaminated water was everywhere.
“Tried to keep what we could out of the bedrooms and it just kept coming,” Sederquist said. “So we ended up, basically flooding the entire house.”
Sederquist called his insurance company, but because the company is blaming the county, it will not cover the damages. County spokesman Doug Tobin says the county is working with Sederquist, and urged him to file a claim, but that process takes time.
“We are going to look at the claim, we asked them to file the claim. And, more than likely, we’ll probably act on it,” Tobin said. “Especially since our utilities has been out there all weekend to help try and clean up that mess…”
In the meantime, Tobin is working with the county’s human services department in order to find a temporary place for Sederquist and his mother to stay. Currently, she is staying with a family member and he is staying at a nearby hotel. But at $100 a night, the money is running out quickly.
Sederquist spent the day moving furniture out of the home, hoping to dry out and save what he can. He is hopeful for help, quick.
“Just hope and pray for the best,” he said. “At this point, there’s not much I can do.”
Friends set up a GoFundMe account to help the family with expenses.
