‘We know how to survive’: Severe river flooding expected from Hurricane Debby aftermath

COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (WCJB) -As people are still dealing with the effects of Hurricane Debby, officials in north central Florida are turning their attention to the rising river levels.

TV20 spoke to Jenifer Creech, a resident who says she still doesn’t have power, forcing her family to bathe in the Ichetucknee River.

“Being on the river it’s very nice as well like I said we just come down here make a dip in the water that way we are able to bathe and keep clean and whatnot,” Creech commented.

Some areas projected to get the worst flooding are O’leno State Park and Three River Estates in Columbia County which runs along the Ichetucknee River.

“You can see on the trees the river levels and how it goes throughout the year we’ve actually had some major damage probably it’s been about 15…20 years…the S.S. store was underwater so we do get some quite initial damage around here,” Creech added.

In Alachua County, the Santa Fe Canoe Outpost is closed until further notice, as High Springs city officials say the river is expected to reach a peak of about 55 feet by mid-day Thursday. TV20′s meteorologists consider this severe flooding.

Residents are urged to stay off any flooding rivers due to hazardous debris and strong currents.

Sandbags will be available to residents on Wednesday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. at Memorial Park, which is located at 17380 Northwest US Highway 441 in the High Springs.

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