More rain still possible in Manatee, Sarasota as flooding remains a concern

The threat of more rain looms in Manatee County, and additional flooding remains a possibility in areas already saturated by heavy rains all weekend.

A flood watch remained in place Sunday evening and won’t expire until 1 a.m. Tuesday with more rain still possible because of an onshore airflow pattern, according to Bay News 9 meteorologist Diane Kacmarik.

Areas from Manatee to Sarasota counties received between 7 and 13 inches of rain between Saturday and Sunday. In Manatee County, there are 63 homes reported to be flooded out, and 26 people have been evacuated, according to the National Weather Service.

Flood warnings remain for the Manatee River at Rye Bridge until Tuesday morning and at Myakka Head until Wednesday.

Emergency management officials opened an emergency shelter at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 912 63rd Ave. W., Bradenton, on Sunday for residents flooded out of their homes. Those displaced residents were being taken to the shelter by Manatee County Area Transit buses.

The shelter should be a last resort for anyone in need of temporary shelter, however, Emergency Management Chief Sherilyn Burris said.

“We always urge people to seek lodging where they’ll be most comfortable,” Burris said in an issued statement. “We’re assisting anyone who needs help to the emergency shelter, but your best bet is to stay in a more familiar place with family or friends.”

The Manatee County Emergency Operations Center was activated Sunday morning at a Level 1 status because of the deluge and flooding that began Saturday evening and with the forecast for additional rain.

“The most important things to remember today are to avoid standing water at all costs; never drive or walk through flooded streets,” Burris said. “Stay away from downed power lines. Stay tuned to local news reports, and be ready to act quickly if strong winds or heavy rains threaten your home.”

Manatee County officials asked residents to stay indoors Sunday unless it’s absolutely necessary to leave.

An Orlando Avenue neighborhood in Bradenton was among areas where water flowed from yards into homes. Cleanup efforts were underway Sunday at homes in Park Acres Estates even as rain continued to fall. Crystal Lake subdivision off Prospect Road also has flooding in homes, according to county officials.

The following roads were closed Sunday as a result of the flooding:

▪  Creekwood Boulevard at S.R. 70

▪  Tara Boulevard south of S.R. 70

▪  Morgan Johnson Road at S.R. 64

▪  Orlando Avenue from Fifth Street West to Orlando Circle

A flood warning had been issued early Sunday and expired mid-afternoon. “This will change if we get more rain, especially if we get more batches of heavy rain,” Kacmarik said. “It really won’t take much, especially in west Manatee County.”

While rain had been predicted throughout the weekend because of a low pressure system that was moving through the area, there was no way to predict to rain in the intensity and in the short amount of time that Manatee County saw, according to Kacmarik.

Sandbags were being distributed Sunday at the following locations:

▪  Buffalo Creek Park – 7550 69th St. E., Palmetto

▪  G.T. Bray Park, 5502 33rd Ave. Dr. W., Bradenton

▪  Lakewood Ranch Park, 5350 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Bradenton

▪  Stormwater Ops, 5511 39th St. E., Bradenton

▪  Rubonia Community Center, 1309 72nd St. E., Palmetto

Sandbag distribution locations opened at 11 a.m. on Sunday, and within two hours county workers said they had already seen between 300 to 400 people at the G.T. Bray location.

Jordan Sepper, of Sarasota, was heading south on Tara Boulevard from S.R. 70 to go to a friend’s house to watch the boxing match between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Saturday night when his Chevrolet Malibu got flooded out.

“One of my buddies had made it through in his Camaro just an hour before, so I thought I could make it through,” Sepper said Sunday afternoon as he waited for a tow truck. “Next thing I knew, I was flooded out and stuck.”

He quickly realized that flood waters had quickly risen to 3 or 4 feet in some parts, Sepper said. Between 15 to 20 cars around were scattered and getting stuck also. Luckily, he said, a tow truck was driving by.

“He said he could move me to the median and out of the water at least so that I wouldn’t get anymore water damage, but there was too much water for him to tow me,” Sepper said.

Firefighters were also driving through in a truck and giving rides to drivers who, like him, had gotten stuck. He got a ride to somewhere his mother could come get him, and firefighters told everyone that the cars would just have to stay until Sunday.

“It looked like a hurricane had come through,” Sepper said. “It was a nightmare.”

Early Sunday afternoon, his car was one of several vehicles that still remained along Tara Boulevard after waters receded.

Jane Springrose and her neighbor in the 600 block of Orlando Avenue had their homes flooded overnight, forcing her to call out an emergency water removal service. She was still awake when the storms got bad, and she peeked out her front window and could see the road was flooded. By the time she looked out the window a second time, Springrose said the water was at the top of the driveway.

“I put towels down, not that it it did any good,” she said.

Water quickly entered her home and covered all the carpets.

This wasn’t the first time, however. Her home was flooded during Hurricane Hermine last year, she said.

“Now here we are, almost a year later, and it’s like deja-vu all over again,” Springrose said laughing. “This is God’s idea of instilling a little humility in us and saying, I’m still in charge.”

Now a just year after having to have new carpets and kitchen cabinets and her drywall repaired, she is going to have to do it all over again. Several cars also had to be towed away overnight — and the wake of some cars was causing more water to come into her home.

At Linger Lodge in East Manatee, Linger Lodge was dealing with flooding and a fallen tree. Campground residents loaded up the taxidermy and moved it to save it from being ruined, sources said.

Officials ask that residents to call 911 for emergencies only and asked for people with non-emergency calls to dial Manatee’s Citizen Information Center at 941-749-3500.

Herald reporter Sara Nealeigh contributed to this report.

This story was originally published August 27, 2017 at 1:05 PM with the headline "More rain still possible in Manatee, Sarasota as flooding remains a concern."