Dover family frustrated by previously-reported flooding

DOVER, Fla. (FOX 13) - Heavy rain over the past 24 hours caused major flooding across parts of the Bay Area, including flooded streets and houses.

In Hillsborough County, James Johnson rushed home in Dover on Jaundon Road Thursday morning to save as much as he could when his wife called to tell him their house was taking on water.

"I couldn't move anything. I didn't have the time to move anything. I was running through trying to grab everything I could in my arms trying to put up higher. This is most of my daughter's clothes. This is all of her toys,” said Johnson as he described the damage throughout his house.

And if his house taking on at least four inches wasn’t bad enough, his entire property was surrounded by water.

“This isn't a hurricane. This isn't a tropical storm. This is a Wednesday storm,” said Johnson. “It shouldn't be getting like this.”

A creek off Jaundon Road that runs behind his property is one of the reasons Johnson says his house flooded. He reported the creek overflow to Hillsborough County officials, and he hopes stormwater workers will do something to help drain the water.

“If it keeps raining like this, it's just going to keep flooding it. If nothing's done to fix this problem, I'm going to end up losing my house,” said Johnson.

Johnson, his wife, and three children bought the house last March. It was his dream house, but now flood damage is what he sees.

“In the short term, we have a solution. I don't really know what I'm going to do in the long term. How do you plan for something like this?” said Johnson.

He said he has flood insurance, and his family is staying in a hotel for now. Johnson said this is the second time his house took on water this week. Sunday’s rain did some damage but not nearly as much as this most recent storm.

A Hillsborough County spokesperson said homeowners can report flooding, and workers will go out, take a look and see what they can do.