Residents Evacuate Sunrise Village

The staff at assisted residents with walkers and in wheelchairs onto two small red and white buses parked in front of the building.

Minutes before, a Hillsborough County school bus had driven away with another load of seniors.

On Monday morning, residents were being evacuated from the facility for fear of flooding from Tropical Storm Debby. Although the front of the building at 11722 N. 17th St. did not have any standing water, the retirement home is located in an area that’s known to flood.

Just two blocks west on 15th Street, buildings had water up to their front doors. Nearby on Fowler Avenue at University Mall, traffic was backed up due to .

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Deputy John McCarrell said family members of Sunrise Village residents had been notified and some had come to pick up their loved ones. He estimated that more than 10 buses total would take the remaining residents to other facilities affiliated with the retirement community. In the first three hours, about half of those seniors had been transported.

“It’s just the timing of getting everyone out,” McCarrell said. “They have to move at their own pace.”

Are you being affected by the Sunrise Village evacuation or flooding on local roads? Tell us in the comments.