Large Flooded Area Remains After Debby's Downpour

Most of Palm Harbor has dried out, five days after Tropical Storm Debby's first deluge. However, a large stretch of land north of Curlew Rd. along U.S. 19 is still underwater, and county officials say it will likely remain that way for a few days.

If you were to travel the length of the large pool of water; it begins at the drainage pond in front of St. George's Pharmacy, then continues north crossing over CR 95 into a undeveloped wooded area, then it continues north into the Wedgewood Condo complex which is tucked into the woods between U.S. 19 and West Lake Rd.

The lay of the land has a lot to do with the drainage problem. Pete Yauch with Pinellas County's Department of Environment and Infrastructure describes the area's terrain as a closed drainage basin or a "large bowl" that does not have a place for rainwater to flow. Yauch says a depression that is most likely a sinkhole, is located in the undeveloped plot of land at the corner of CR 95 and U.S. 19. He says rain will usually flow into the sinkhole without any problem. But, rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby was so great, it filled the sinkhole and the surrounding "bowl".

A couple of water pump problems on the lots adjacent to the sinkhole property added to the flooding woes. Neither of the pumps were working when Tropical Storm Debby moved through, so the properties flooded, which helped create one big pool of water spread out on all three properties. A spokesperson for the St. George Pharmacy says the water pump for the drainage pond in front of the pharmacy was not hooked up to electricity. Yauch says that the water pump at the Wedgwood condo complex was not working.

However, those pump problems have been solved and water levels are slowly going down. "Both pumps have been repaired and activated," Yauch told Palm Harbor Patch late Thursday afternoon. 

He estimated that it could be a few days before the water disappears entirely. "We don't know how big the sinkhole is, so we don't know how much water there is to get rid of," said Yauch.

Once the water goes down, county crews will be able to look for damage from the flooding. Two parts of CR 95 have been underwater since Sunday's deluge, which could end up damaging the road.

Thursday, a large portion of the Wedgewood condo complex was still underwater. But, it was obvious that the water had receded a bit. Four-foot tall hedges that were almost entirely covered by water on Monday were more visible Thursday. And, a yellow car that appeared to be consumed by water Monday was only halfway submerged Thursday.

Wedgewood Residents say they have never seen flooding this bad in their complex. The high water even created a life-threatening situation Sunday evening. One homeowner, who has lived at the complex for 26 years, said he called 911 around 9 p.m. when he heard yelling outside his condo. He walked outside to see a blue Volkswagen that was almost entirely covered by the floodwater. The driver had apparently not realized how deep the water was after pulling into the complex's entrance on U.S. 19. Firefighters came and rescued the family from the sinking car.

"It was really dark out. The rescue unit did a great job pulling them out of there. That car's been there ever since," he said.

The homeowner, who did not want to be identified, said he hopes the flooding situation is taken care of. "If we have a hurricane, we're going to be in trouble."

Stephanie Kilgore, 19, who lives in Wedgewood and her friend, Jennifer Prinsen, 19, also of Palm Harbor, were making the most of the situation on Wednesday. Prinsen bought a small inflatable boat and was happily touring the flooded complex.

Kilgore watched as her pal paddled around, recalling the rains that flooded the complex, "It was crazy. I've lived here most of my life. It's never been this bad."

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