Dangerous flooding continues in Florida

Leslie Hudson reports from Middleburg, Florida, where Debby has left rising floodwaters that still endanger residents.

Transcript

00:00For several hundred homes here in Middleburg in Clay County, Florida, they are under a flood

00:06warning and you can see why. The creek here, Black Creek, has over spilled and is inundating

00:12the roads in and around this community and it does impact several hundred people.

00:17The problem is I'm in the north part of the prong of the creek and that's where it's worse.

00:22The actual Clay County officials say that the waters continue to rise in this region

00:28and if they get as high as 21 feet, they're currently almost at 20 feet,

00:32they will have widespread flooding in this area.

00:35The good news is a lot of the homes here are up and elevated, up on stilts.

00:40They've learned over the years as they live along these old Florida towns that they have to

00:46combat Mother Nature when it decides it's going to be a problem.

00:49So they've raised their homes in many areas in this part of Florida,

00:53but however, it's a huge inconvenience and of course there's all kinds of debris in this water

00:59that is not safe and is quite dangerous.

01:02We talked to some folks from Jacksonville Beach that made a trip down to Clay County

01:06to see the flooding firsthand.

01:08It's a little dangerous to be out there on the boat just because there's stuff floating around

01:12and debris, stuff you can't see, sticks and logs and we saw a mattress go by.

01:19There was a mattress or a small mattress that went by a minute ago.

01:23Emergency officials continue to monitor the conditions here around the clock.

01:27They want to make sure that it doesn't get more dangerous as the hours wear on.

01:32The most critical times for this region here along Black Creek is during the astronomical high tides

01:38when those waters can be at their peak.

01:40They're going to continue to monitor this and let the folks know if they need to leave.

01:44So far there has not been talk about immediate evacuation orders in this area,

01:49but of course many parts in Florida will be concerned with the rising floodwaters

01:54in the coming days and weeks as Debbie's calling card is left behind.

01:59For now, we're reporting in Middleburg, Florida.

02:01I'm Leslie Hudson for AccuWeather.

02:03Back to you.