MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Some neighbors in both Sarasota and Manatee counties are preparing for the possibility of more flooding as concerns are growing about the Lake Manatee dam release.
In Sarasota County, three sandbag-making sites were opened so homeowners could shore up their homes.
Some of them have watched closely as their neighbors in Manatee County grapple with the aftermath of Hurricane Debby. With even more rain expected in the coming days, residents in both coastal and inland areas are bracing for additional flooding.
"We all need to be prepared for what was going down and you never know when it's going to get here again because Ian was something else," Eleanor Colbert said.
Hurricane Debby was the most recent weather menace that flooded people out of their homes.
While families have been dealing with that aftermath for weeks now, yet more rain continues to fall and saturate the ground.
The area got up to 4 inches of rain on Thursday, and on Friday some neighbors were still dealing with flood warnings near the Myakka River.
With an already vulnerable area, even a typical summer storm can be problematic.
"I was driving in Venice yesterday morning. Pine Brook Road flooded. I had to drive right through it so it was really scary yesterday morning. I got home as quickly as I could and I said enough is enough I'm getting ready," Mike Dramis, a Sarasota neighbor, said.
Dramis was making sandbags not just for himself but also for his elderly neighbor.
"My neighborhood got hit pretty hard and the neighbors flooded. We've got a mix of some elderly people that need some help in my neighborhood so I'll probably be back tomorrow for 10 more bags to help her. I think the county should do preloaded bags for the elderly 'cause I've got a neighbor that's 80 she can't do this," Dramis added.
"When it starts up and you see it starting to flood it's no way for you to go now and go get some bags, so get the bags whether you think you need them or not," Colbert said.
In Manatee County, where neighbors near the Lake Manatee Dam have seen rising waters already, we asked county leaders about the concerns from some regarding the reservoir's spillway and the flooding that it's creating in some downstream neighborhoods.
"Once the reservoir is full we have no ability to impound additional water so that means that any water flowing in is immediately flowing out," Manatee County Deputy Administrator Evan Pilachowski said.
Some residents have also complained about what they have described as poor notification systems and communication challenges.
"Once we hit an area of predict that we're going to hit about 3500 ft.³ per second there are a list of property owners downstream of the reservoir that we reach out to. We actually call them on the phone individually," Pilachowski explained.
While Sarasota ended its sandbag station on Friday evening, Manatee County's sandbag locations will be stocked throughout the weekend and opened to the public.
Sand, bags, and shovels will be available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Buffalo Creek Park, Bennett Park, and Lakewood Ranch Park for self-service sandbagging. There are also two pre-made pallets of sandbags and a load of sand, bags, and shovels available at Rye Preserve, at 905 Rye Wilderness Trail in Parrish, according to county officials.