Ridge Manor residents salvage what they can from homes surrounded by floodwaters

Neighbors frustrated with flooding

Jordan Bowen reports

RIDGE MANOR, Fla. - Ridge Manor residents were in waders Tuesday as they moved out anything they could from their homes, which are now surrounded by several feet of water. They're salvaging what they can before everything they own is underwater and impossible to reach.

Waters have been rising since Thursday and haven't let up as of Tuesday evening.

"Right now, my life is in a 26-foot U-Haul in the driveway of my daughter's house where I'm staying with their family with two children," Maria Wieand said.

She moved everything she could out late Sunday, including her refrigerator, beds, furniture and clothes. For some in Ridge Manor, it's been a race against time to get what they can, because the water hasn't stopped rising since Thursday.

The neighborhood near U.S. 301 and Cortez Boulevard in Hernando County is surrounded by three lakes, which have now flooded the entire neighborhood. It's just one mile from the Withlacoochee River, and many believe it's bringing the water into the community.

Last week, many were still without cell service when the warnings for the flooding came, catching some by surprise.

"No alarms went off for us for this water rising. Yes, the hurricane alarms went off, but this happened nine days later, and we had no warning," Wieand said. "Like my husband and I were saying yesterday, like we walked outside, and it was at the back door of our detached garage. And by afternoon it was at the front door of the garage."

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Congressman Gus Bilirakis' is now assisting residents specifically impacted by the Ridge Manor flooding. A spokesperson told FOX 13 that his office has already been in contact with Southwest Florida Water Management District to request information about the situation and figure out ways to mitigate or prevent problems like this in the future.

"It just came out from under the ground. It came through a retention pond behind our house that in all the 10 years had never filled with water. Never," Wieand said.

Congressman Gus Bilirakis' Chief of Staff Elisabeth Hittos will be at the Ridge Manor Community Center on Wednesday from 12-4 p.m. to assist residents in getting proper FEMA aid and also help them find federal and state assistance that's available. They also plan on eventually making that community center a multi-agency command center to help with aid for these flood victims.

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