Published: September 5,2016
The Anclote River crested Sunday at about 25 feet, leaving homes in the area ravaged by fast-moving flood water, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Pasco County Emergency Services Director Kevin Guthrie ordered evacuations on Saturday for several areas in close proximity, with some 2,500 homes within the evacuation areas and about 750 of them under a mandatory order. A shelter was opened in Hudson for those with nowhere else to stay, the report added.
According to the Associated Press, a combination of high tide, Hurricane Hermine and a strong thunderstorm on Saturday caused the Anclote River to crest Sunday at 25.08 feet, officials said. It is expected to recede by Monday.
Emergency responders evacuated about 30 people by boat Saturday and some 40 homes on the Anclote River were experiencing flooding on Sunday, with rushing water of 20 to 25 mph, Guthrie said.
On Sunday, Gov. Rick Scott toured flooded areas in Pasco County. After his visit, he tweeted a message, saying "Florida is strong and I am confident that our communities will continue to band together and restore these beautiful areas."
Pasco County Fire Rescue assisting drivers on US 19 in Port Richey #PascoStorm #PascoCounty
In parts of North Florida, residents began to grow impatient that electricity hadn't been restored as temperatures soared back into the 90s.
By Monday afternoon, more that 31,000 customers remained without power. In total, an estimated 325,000 customers lost power to Hermine, according to the AP. Officials warned that the damage was so severe that it could take a week before power is restored to some, according to WCTV-TV.
“The power going out is definitely understandable to me,” Tallahassee resident Matt Henning told the Tallahassee Democrat. “I have lived in Central Florida. I went through those hurricanes. They were much quicker about getting power up to residents there.”
Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum stressed the city was doing everything possible to get the lights back on for its residents.
“We’ve restored power to some 25,000 households in this community,” Gillum said in a Saturday afternoon news conference. “We think that is a very good pace and the numbers are clearly going in the right direction. With that being said, we know it is still challenging for those folks in our community still without power.”
Hermine has been blamed for one death in Florida. Marion County emergency officials confirmed to weather.com that a man identified as John Mayes was killed by a downed tree that fell onto a tent in a homeless camp in Ocala early Friday morning.
(MORE: Send Us Your Photos From Hermine)
The storm, which continues its march up the East Coast, caused severe damage along the coast of Taylor County, Florida, according to the Perry Police Department.
During a press conference Friday, Gov. Rick Scott took a Blackhawk helicopter to visit the towns of Cedar Key and Steinhatchee on the Gulf Coast and saw firsthand the damage left from flood and storm surge, the Associated Press reported. Among the damages were crumpled docks and washed-out homes and businesses.
Scott pledged that businesses would be eligible for help from the state, although he didn't make it clear whether Florida will get any federal disaster assistance as the state, according to the AP.
Andy Squires, head of Pinellas County coastal zone management office, told the AP erosion to the county's beaches may be the worst in a decade.
"We're expecting it to be greater than the damage done by Tropical Storm Debby in 2012," Squires said.
Severe storm surge damage to home in Keaton Bch, FL. #Hermine
Cedar Key, a small island in Levy County, received about 6 feet of storm surge, which flooded both homes and businesses, Florida Today reports.
(MORE: Virginia Coast, Jersey Shore Prepares for Hermine's Punch)
In nearby Steinhatchee, a storm surge crashed into the home of Bobbi Pattison. On Saturday, she assessed the damage, including sand and muck that covered the floors of her home.
"I had a hurricane cocktail party last night and God got even with me," she said.
In Keaton Beach, about two dozen people waited on a road that had been blocked by police because of the flooding, trying to return to their homes. Included was Dustin Beach, 31, who had rushed back to his home after spending the night at a Tallahassee hospital where his wife gave birth to a daughter Thursday night.
"When my wife got up this morning, she said, 'Go home and check on the house. I need to know where we're going after we leave the hospital,'" Beach said.
Tallahassee
The city tweeted on Monday that more than 800 tons of debris had been removed.High winds knocked trees onto several houses in Tallahassee, injuring people inside, according to AP.
Alan Autry, 48, said he and his wife began hearing the sound of trees cracking outside beginning just after midnight Friday. One tree fell their home but didn't initially crash through the roof. Autry and his wife went to a neighbor's house and sometime before dawn, the corner of his house collapsed from the weight of the tree.
#Hermine damage in Horseshoe Beach - courtesy: Frank Whitehead
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