Pasco residents again keeping an eye on the sky

PORT RICHEY (FOX 13) - Several Pasco County communities were recovering from flooding Monday following a round of strong storms earlier in the day.

Heavy rain moved through at around 6 a.m. and, roughly 12 hours later, some neighborhoods were still waiting for the water to recede.

"What that [band of rain] caused was that worst-case scenario for us, which put a lot of rain on the ground in a very short amount of time," said Emergency Services Director Kevin Guthrie. "Everybody is on standby ready to go. What we don't want to do is create unnecessary panic."

But folks in several communities couldn't help but feel worried; it was exactly one year ago that several places were underwater for weeks.

"It's terrifying when you have animals and a child in the house and two expecting women in the house," said Cassy Langlois, who lives on Ironbark Drive in Port Richey, where the water rose to at least 24 inches.

Langlois' next-door neighbor, Jennifer Leatham, said the flooding can get bad every year.

"Oh, I go into panic mode and I start going crazy around the house picking everything up; electronics, rugs, carpets. I get on everybody about picking up their stuff off the ground," Leatham said.

Other sections of Port Richey and Hudson were also hit hard; children were paddling in canoes down Dayton Drive in Hudson.

With the possibility of several more inches of rain the forecast, county officials are taking precautions.  Up to a dozen pumps have been placed in flood-prone waterways, to try to help with drainage. Inmates have been helping residents fill sandbags at several locations.

But if that doesn't work and things start looking like 2015, neighbors have a backup plan.

"I'm just going to have to get my dogs and my family out of here," John Langlois said. "I can't be here too long."