LAKELAND, Fla. — People who live near English Creek in Lakeland did all they could to prepare for Hurricane Milton, but as the creek rose, nothing could hold back the flood waters from entering their homes.
Since 1972 Woody Screws and his wife Mary Jo called Medulla Road on the English Creek home. Then Hurricane Milton happened.
“We’ve been here 52 years, and this is the first time it’s come in the house,” said Mary Jo.
The hurricane’s heavy rain poured into English Creek, causing their home and others nearby to flood.
“We expected it to come up around us. That's the reason we got that pump to put under the house. We figured we could pump out what came off the roof and the berm was to suppose to protect the rest of our house,” Mary Jo said.
They built a berm around the entire house, but it could not withstand the rising water.
“It come over the berm at least a foot or more,” Woody said.
Their mobile home had two feet of water inside, ruining all their furniture and newly renovated walls and floors.
“All this paneling we just had it all done about six months ago and a new floor,” said Woody.
The shop next door also took in two feet of water. Longtime residents said they’ve never seen the creek flood like this before. They suspect new development along County Line Road may have played a role.
“We were very surprised at how quickly the water was rising and how fast it was flowing, which meant that is was not just rain coming down but things that are dumping in the creek and continuing to build that quickly and also increase the flow,” said Tim Johnson.
The Screws have salvaged what they can, but their home is a total loss. They plan on moving somewhere else.
“We’re getting to the age where we can't handle it no more. We can't take care of it,” said Woody.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
