Weather Service Issues Flood Warning For Hillsborough County

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — After watching the Alafia River overflow its banks and submerge their yards in water every summer for the past several years, residents of River Drive off Lithia-Pinecrest Road in Lithia are familiar with the drill.

As soon as the National Weather Service issues a warning alerting the community that the river is passing flood stage, residents along the road, which runs parallel to the river, move their cars to the top of the road where it's high and dry. Then they pull out their canoes and jon boats, a necessary but dreaded summer routine that comes with living near a river.

This week was no exception. Unrelenting rains have raised the level of the Alafia River to 14.6 feet, about 1 1/2 feet above flood stage.

But that's considered a minor inconvenience for these flood veterans who experienced devastating floods in 2017 when Hurricane Irma pummeled Florida with rain.

Nevertheless, Thursday's heavy rainfall certainly didn't help matters. At 2:48 p.m., the Ruskin office of the National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the section of the Alafia River that flows through Lithia, the Hillsborough River near Hillsborough River State Park and the Little Manatee River through Wimauma until Sunday at noon.

Lithia Springs Conservation Park is already closed due to the flooding, and Hillsborough River State Park could close this weekend, said NWS meteorologists. The Hillsborough River begins flooding its banks at 10 feet. At 2 p.m. Thursday, the river was at 10.1 feet. The weather service predicts a foot more of water by early Saturday morning.

With that in mind, the National Weather Service is reminding residents to heed the Florida summertime mantra: Turn Around, Don't Drown.

Summer is the rainy season in Hillsborough County, with August, on average, being the wettest month of the year.

Driving or walking into floodwaters causes more than 50 percent of all flood-related drownings, according to the weather service. In fact, more deaths occur due to flooding than from any other storm-related hazard, including lightning and wind.

According to the NWS, six inches of fast-moving water can knock adults off their feet and sweep them away. A small car can be carried off in 12 inches of moving water, and 18 to 24 inches of moving water can carry off trucks, vans and SUVS.

The Hillsborough County Emergency Operations Center is recommending that residents review the county's flood maps, also known as Flood Insurance Rate Maps, to assess a property's flood risk.

Note: Flood maps aren't the same as evacuation zone maps. You should also know what evacuation zone you live in and stay informed during bad weather by signing up with HCFL Alert, the county's mass notification system.

Flooding is the costliest natural disaster affecting Hillsborough County with both inland and coastal areas susceptible to flooding damage.

Residents should also prepare by:

• Knowing how to shut off the electricity and gas to your house prior to a flood
• Making a list of emergency numbers and identifying a safe place to go in case of a flood
• Making a household inventory (list, videos, pictures), especially of the lowest level of your house
• Putting insurance policies, valuable papers, medicine, etc., in a safe place
• Collecting and putting cleaning supplies, cameras, waterproof boots, etc., in a handy place
• Developing a disaster response plan.
• Preparing an emergency kit

Report potentially hazardous situations to the county, including drainage ditches clogged with debris or choked with tall grass and fallen tree limbs.