MIDDLEBURG, Fla. -- Unlike their neighbors along Black Creek, the Turners' home isn't on stilts. They had no other choice but to grab their family pet Tuesday, get in a canoe, and evacuate.
"If I think about it, I'll cry," said homeowner, Pam Turner.
They were able to get out on their own. Other neighbors weren't so lucky. They waited too long. The water got too high. And they had to call the sheriff's office to rescue them.
Deputy Chris Castelli with the Clay County Sheriff's Office said, "The message we'd like to get out to them is if you think that you're going to wanna come in, we'd like to get that done before it gets dark out here. It puts us in danger as well as the people we're trying to rescue."
Another major concern, he said, are uprooted trees knocking down power lines. "Somebody may have power right now, but it may go out if a branch or something falls on a line. Then it's going to be out for a while," he said. Action News asked, "Because Clay Electric can't get anybody back there?" Deputy Castelli replied, "Yeah, it put their crews in danger as well as anybody else in the area."
Pam Turner couldn't do anything but watch as flood waters crept closer to her home. It's a helpless feeling. And the flood is only expected to get worse. "They're calling for 25 feet. And 25 feet will be in the house," she said.
Black Creek is expected to crest at or above 25 feet Wednesday at noon. Emergency workers are warning neighbors not to drive through flood waters. And not to wade through them either. Many of the homes along the creek are on septic systems, and the water is no doubt contaminated.
If you live along Black Creek, and you need a safe, dry place to stay, a shelter is now open at Middleburg High School.
