PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Valerie Schaefer lives on Scout Lake in Pasco County. In August of 2015 days of heavy rain flooded Schaefer’s neighborhood.
Her garage, pool and yard were filled with water from the lake. “The washer, the dryer, all the drywall had to be replaced and still is being replaced,” Schaefer said.
It took her and her neighbors months to recover. Some of the streets in Schaefer’s neighborhood still have problems because they were under water for days.
Now the lake is down several feet from its normal level as the county prepares for heavy rain this week. Schaefer says there have been months of meetings with county commissioners and others on how to deal with flooding issues in the area.
“Our area, they are working on issues. So I think we are okay, and our lake now is low because we haven’t had the same rain as last year, but also I think they are being a little more proactive since last years flooding,” she said.
All across the Tampa Bay area a number of counties and cities have set up sandbag locations to help homeowners protect their properties.
In Tampa Steve Newhouse came to collect sandbags for his home. “Just to be safe; just in case we need them with the rain storm coming in,” Newhouse said.
