People in Land O’ Lakes, Florida have reported fish and alligators swimming in the flooded streets of western Florida. Residents are being impaced by flooded rivers that are slow to go down after Hurricane Milton.
LAND O’ LAKES, Fla.– Residents in many Florida cities still struggling with damage from Hurricane Milton also continue to navigate flooding a week after the hurricane made landfall.
FOX News Multimedia Reporter Bowen Kedrowicz, who went to Land O’ Lakes, Florida to speak to residents whose neighborhoods are still impacted, said flags posted in floodwaters show how high the waters have gotten.
He said one flag showed water had at one point reached nearly 3 feet in height. On Wednesday, the National Weather Service Tampa Bay issued a flood warning for the Withlacoochee River in Levy and Citrus Counties.
The nearby Withlacoochee River in Trillby, Florida, is expected to reach its peak Wednesday, before slowly receding over the next several days, according to the National Water Prediction Service.
The Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative shared the grueling conditions their linemen were enduring Tuesday to restore power in Brooksville, Florida, following Hurricane Milton.
(Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative, Inc. / FOX Weather)
Rebekah Thorne, a Land O’ Lakes resident, said people were getting trapped in homes because of how quickly water was rising. She said the flooding has also brought some unusual creatures to their neighborhood. “As we’re going through, we’re seeing there’s literally bass and crappie and tilapia in our street, swimming around,” Thorne said.
Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said they haven’t received any reports of fish or alligators swimming in floodwaters, but warn residents should still be cautious.
The FWC’s website said alligators are often seen more frequently in floodwaters, and to give them space and respect as you usually would.
The commission said to never try and conduct a wildlife rescue during or after a hurricane or tropical storm if it puts a person in a dangerous situation. When encountering sick, injured or orphaned wildlife, the FWC said to note the location of the animal and report it to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or to contact the appropriate FWC regional office.
St. Johns River could take weeks to recede from major flood stage
Another river that will stubbornly remain above flood stage well after Milton is the St. Johns River that flows for 310 miles along Florida’s eastern coast.
Rivers and streams continue to rise in Florida one week after deadly Hurricane Milton slammed the state with damaging winds and torrential rain. Many residents have been evacuated due to the water flowing into communities hit hard by the storm.
Flooding extends for much of the length of the river, with major flooding still reported in Astor, Deland and Geneva.
The river only changes 27 feet in elevation from start to finish, meaning it only drops about one inch per mile, leading to a very slow draining process. Tidal flow at the mouth of the river near Mayport north of Jacksonville can reverse the flow of the river for as much as 160 miles.
This week, king tides and strong onshore flow off the Atlantic are working to add additional resistance to the river drainage process – and even cause the river to rise again. As such, the river is forecast to remain above major flood stage at least into next week.
History says the wait for normalcy could be even longer. The St. Johns flooded in early October 2022 by hurricanes Ian and Nicole, and it took until the week of Thanksgiving to recede below flood stage at Geneva – and until the day after Christmas at Astor.
“Residents and interests along the St. Johns River… should be prepared for prolonged Major flood impacts for the next several weeks,” the National Weather Service said.
Deep Creek, Haw Creek, Cypress Creek and the Ocklawaha and Hillsborough Rivers all reached record flood crests with Milton.