'We pretty much lost everything:' Manatee County families get look at flood damage from Debby

BRADENTON, Fla. - Manatee County officials announced Tuesday that more than 200 people were saved in water rescues from Tropical Storm Debby.

"This is a 100-year flood that we’ve had during this storm," commissioner Mike Rahn said. Some areas saw 18 inches of water, he added.

Officials said 210 people, 40 pets, and two horses were saved in over 55 water rescues across the county.

That includes Michael Farrelly’s wife and daughter, who were evacuated by boat from the Centre Lake neighborhood.

"It's just insane. Something you never want to experience or go through," Farrelly said.

Farrelly told FOX 13 he’s grateful for the neighbor he "never met" before, who jumped in to help Farrelly and his four dogs escape the flooded neighborhood in a truck.

READ: Newly built Lakewood Ranch neighborhood trapped by flooded streets after Debby

On Tuesday, many residents returned to the Centre Lake neighborhood to try and save what they could from their houses. Judy Schweim and her family used a paddle board to access their home.

"I'm trying to save my cat. Trying to save anything I can out of my house," Schweim said.

After record rainfall, officials decided to strategically release water from Lake Manatee on Monday. They gave an update on the situation Tuesday.

"Our dam at Lake Manatee did its job. It did its job protecting the lake and the levels at the lake and automatically released into the spillway so we can maintain safe levels at the lake," Rahn said.

The county said its call center received more than 2,200 calls over the last 72 hours. Code enforcement teams were out surveying damage Tuesday, according to officials.

"We pretty much lost everything. We don't have any cars," Farrelly said. "We don't have anywhere to call home anymore."

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