Hurricane Milton brings extensive flooding to Tampa’s University Area neighborhood

Hundreds of people, pets rescued after storms

Aaron Mesmer reports

TAMPA, Fla. - High-water rescue efforts in the University Area of Tampa continued throughout the day Thursday, as emergency crews used boats to shuttle people out of high water and onto dry land after Hurricane Milton flooded several neighborhoods.

The flood water that devastated communities off of Fowler Avenue had hardly receded by Thursday evening. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission used motorboats to carry families away from their flooded homes.

The rescue efforts began early in the morning. Hillsborough County deputies and Hillsborough County Fire Rescue came to the aid of 135 people who were trapped by rising water in the Great American Assisted Living Facility off of Fowler Avenue.

READ: Hurricane Milton causes significant damage to Tampa office building

"This was a big lift: 135 disabled individuals, a lot of them that couldn't walk. We had to bring their wheelchairs or walkers or whatever they had with them," Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said. "[It was] a huge undertaking between us and our family from Hillsborough County Fire Rescue to do this collaborative effort."

FOX 13 joined Chronister and deputies on an airboat to view the devastation near Fowler. During that tour, deputies spotted a 14-year-old boy who was clinging to a piece of wood in the water and struggling to stay afloat.

Chronister and his deputies pulled the teenager onto the boat and took him back to his apartment, which was also flooded. The boy told them he had spent the night with a friend to ride out the storm. When he attempted to return to his apartment, he didn't realize how deep the water was and got himself into trouble.

MORE: Tampa woman killed by tree branch during post-Milton restoration efforts: TPD

The flood water from Milton destroyed homes, apartments, vehicles and condominiums in this area, which the sheriff said is a lower-income community. He believes it's going to take a long time for residents in the University Area to recover.

"I've never seen flooding like this, never," Chronister said. "To...go through here on an airboat and see cars underwater, you see individuals on a second floor, because their first floor was flooded, just standing there waiting for it to subside. This is a neighborhood that has very little and the very little that they had is gone."

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