Manatee County calls Hurricane Debby a 100-year storm

At a Tuesday morning press conference to talk about the storm's effects, Manatee County officials called Hurricane Debby a 100-year storm. 

“This was historic,” Commission Chair Mike Rahn said at the Manatee County Emergency Operations Center. “We had massive amounts of rain dumped on us at one time. Some places got up to 18 inches of rain here in Manatee County.”

Emergency crews performed 55 water rescues and moved 210 individuals and two horses to safer ground. The county’s call center handled over 2,200 calls in 72 hours. 

Senator Rick Scott joined Rahn, along with Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown, Sheriff Rick Wells, Director of Public Safety Jodie Fiske and Commissioners Ray Turner and Kevin Van Ostenbridge.

Scott said he met with Deanne Criswell, administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, last week to ensure federal resources would be available. 

“A lot of people are seeing flooding that we have never experienced before,” Wells said. “We’re still dealing with some road closures on Golf Course Road. Upper Manatee/Rye Road is now open. County Road 675 is still closed in the Jim Davis area, so we’re still trying to get people home safely.” 

Officials stressed the importance of ongoing caution. Wells said the Sheriff’s Office will assist residents who have their medications trapped in flooded areas. 

“If you see a road is flooded, turn around and don’t drown,” Rahn said. 

In Lakewood Ranch Tuesday morning, River Club's Mary Ilcym stood outside her home on Royal Lytham Avenue, staring toward the street. 

Since Hurricane Debby slowly passed Manatee County and pounded the area with rain, she's been waiting for the water on her street to clear so she can leave her home. 

She doesn't have a vehicle large enough to plow through the standing water.

"I have never experienced something like this," Ilcym said. "We were surprised with all this rain. It's not easy, but we're dealing with it. We're just watching TV most of the time. The water is just not going back. It's staying right in front, and there's nothing else we can do but just wait it out."

River Club's Tom Sweeney wanted to go to Johnson Preserve for a morning walk Aug. 6, but the county closed the preserve due to floods. 

Sweeney, who lives on Woodborne Place, wouldn't have been able to get to the preserve anyway, as water engulfed much of Clubhouse Drive around Oakmont Way. 

Sweeney said the torrential rains from Debby "felt like it was biblical" as it pounded the area. 

After thinking the worst was over the afternoon of Aug. 5, Sweeney said the evening storm came as a surprise as River Club was once again hammered with rain. This time, it caused power outages. 

As Sweeney checked on a friend's home and took photos of the floods at the intersection of Royal Latham Avenue and River Club Boulevard Aug. 6, he said he still didn't have power. 

He said the power outage was a result of transformers being under water. 

"No one really realizes what 18 inches of rain is going to look like," he said. "I don't think I've ever seen it like that."

Sweeney said he always assumed loss of power during a hurricane would be caused by downed power lines or strong winds. He never considered it could be a result of flooding. Now, he will consider getting a generator to ensure he doesn't lose power in the next storm.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, workers found that the Braden River had flowed its way through the Linger Lodge Restaurant. They said the entire restaurant had 3 inches of water sitting inside. 

The water flowed right through the restaurant into the parking lot in front of the establishment. 

Dried up eels could be seen in the parking lot as the waters receded. 

Peggy Shongo, the restaurant administrator, said staff members used squeegees to push the water out of the kitchen and dining areas, past the patios and back into the river. 

Fans were blowing air on the floor to help dry it faster. 

Staff member Juan Vaquero was hard at work pressure washing the patio. 

The river's level still was near the restaurant, covering most of the stairs leading up to the patio. 

Shongo said the restaurant will reopen Wednesday.