Sarasota residents evacuated from homes after record rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby
SARASOTA, Fla. - Sarasota saw record rainfall on Sunday as Hurricane Debby roared past the Gulf Coast, leaving flooding and storm surge in its wake.
According to FOX 13 Meteorologist Paul Dellegatto, Sarasota received 9.52" of rain on Sunday, marking an all-time record for daily rainfall in August, shattering the old record of 8.12" set on August 26, 2017.
As of 8 a.m. on Tuesday, there are two road closures Sarasota police reported due to flooding:
- Bahia Vista Street from Kruppa Avenue (just west of Beneva Road to S. Conrad Avenue
- South Beneva Road from Bahia Vista Street to Legacy Trail
SPD reported all other major thoroughfares are open for travel.
Authorities in Sarasota could be seen evacuating residents from the Centre Lake neighborhood in Sarasota on Monday morning due to flooding.
Southern Manatee Fire Rescue Deputy Chief of Operations Adam Perry said at around 5 a.m. on Monday, crews responded to evacuate about 70 homes in the Centre Lake neighborhood. As of 9 a.m., they were at about 50 percent with 50 adults, 10 children, and 10 pets out of the structures.
He said some people have self-evacuated, and others were evacuated with high-water vehicles.
"We're trying to keep it secure and get the people out in as safe a manner as possible, and the crews have done an outstanding job of getting the people out as well," Perry said.
"It seems like an excessive amount of rain that we've had over this time period," he added. "I haven't seen it like this in a long time."
Later in the day, authorities with the sheriff's office and police department rescued people from their homes near South Conrad Avenue and Bahia Vista Street. Around 4 to 4:30 a.m. on Monday, the Phillippi Creek began to rise, and that's when residents began to notice the water coming up.
Lorena Rodrijuez and her family from Miami tried to get out of the Airbnb they were renting off Bahia Vista in Sarasota, but the water was rising too quickly.
"We woke up around 5 a.m. and the water was up on our feet. A rescuer passed by, and they got us out through the window. They couldn’t open the door, because the water pressure was too high, and we had to come up, and the water is still coming up," said Rodrijuez.
Torrential rain mixed with water from Phillippi Creek brought flooding that hasn’t been seen in this area in decades.
"We lost our belongings, but you know, what is more important that we are safe," said Rodrijuez.
First responders worked to rescue those stuck in their homes.
"Since about 8 p.m. last night, we’ve done approximately 150 rescues and flood evacuations, depending on the people’s conditions and where they are," said Assistant Fire Chief Tim Dorsey with the Sarasota County Fire Rescue.
By Monday evening, the number of those rescued jumped to 500 – from families to senior citizens and their pets.
Crews from the Sarasota Police Department, Sarasota County Sheriff's Office and Sarasota County Fire Rescue received assistance from North Port Police Department, North Port Fire Rescue, Englewood Fire Department, Charlotte County Fire Department and Search Task Force Six.
"We’ve got our teams all out. We will be here 'til we get it all done. We will go house to house to make sure everybody is safe and can get evacuated if they want to," said Dorsey.
Renea Edmonds, a Sarasota resident, told FOX 13 why she's going door to door to try to help out.
"It's our neighborhood. We've got a lot of elder people and a lot of people … this is a flash flood. People didn't know this was going to happen; we didn't know this was going to happen," Edmonds said. "We knew we were getting a lot of rain, but people needed help, and this is what you do as a community, as a family, as a team. It's just what you do as a good human being."
John Grove has lived in Sarasota for a couple of years, and he described what it's like seeing the water rescues.
"It's unreal," he said. "I fish in this creek that is flooding right now. For years. It's got an eight-foot bank, so you never thought that water would come above it. It's just incomprehensible."
In the Colonial Oaks subdivision in Sarasota Springs, residents who say they don't normally see flooding saw their neighborhood flooded due to Hurricane Debby.
Near Conrad Avenue and Courtland Street, residents could be seen salvaging items from a flooded home, and streets were inundated with rainwater.
Homes, vehicles and belongings are now badly damaged or destroyed. Those who were rescued on Monday, including Rodrijuez and her family, are just thankful to be on dry land and together.
"We are grateful to be safe. At least we are safe," said Rodrijuez.