Pasco Declares State of Emergency

With parts of Pasco County under water and more rain likely, the County Commission is held a special meeting Friday afternoon to consider declaring a local state of emergency.

That declaration was approved by commissioners, several media outlets are reporting.

The declaration covers the entire county, officials say, and helps the county seek financial aid “as our cost in responding to this event increases,” said Ed Caum, the county’s acting public information officer.

While the west side of the county, particularly the Elfers area, has experienced flooding in recent days, the order is meant to extend throughout Pasco.

“Although the flooding is localized, we may have other events due to localized heavy rain in other parts of the county,” Caum explained.

The National Weather Service anticipates more storms throughout the weekend and into early next week. Flood watches and warnings, however, have expired for Pasco County at this time.

Patch file photo