Sarasota County officials said the waste water system is processing nearly twice the amount of water that it normally does. They are worried that more rain could cause wastewater backups, so they are asking residents to conserve water throughout the rest of the night.
"(We are asking residents to) Not do things like their dishes or laundry as the storm passes over the next day or so and (to) try to help us," said Utilities Manager David Cash.
Residents like Mona Young aren't worrying about conserving water, because she is worried about getting water out of her home. She was evacuated from her home on 40th St. last night. Young said she returned this morning to find about two inches of rain on her floor.
"There was mud all over the kitchen, just everywhere," said Young.
Young's block was one of the few in Sarasota that saw any real damage according to Sarasota officials. They believe the combination of debris blocking the drainage system, plus heavy rainfall added to the areas flooding.
"The system was just overwhelmed with the amount of rainfall we had in that short amount of time," said Storm Water Manager Harold Roebuck.
Officials said the wastewater system was appeared to be working normal as of Thursday evening.
