PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Roads, businesses and homes were flooded when Tropical Storm Eta blew through Wednesday evening. Viewers shared photos and videos as the water rose in their neighborhoods.
St. Petersburg's Shore Acres neighborhood, which is already prone to flooding, saw rising water in houses. As yards filled up, flooding seeped inside.
"Inside we had 5 inches of water," said Kara Milhelich, who rents a home in Shore Acres. "In our garage, it was up to a foot of water. So, now the walls are all soggy."
Mihelich just moved into her rental home two days ago, but the severe flooding in the area is causing her to move again.
"A contractor came out and said everything needs to be replaced including the floor, the cabinets and the drywall," Milhelich said.
Brad Hubbard, president of National Flood Experts, says if your home flooded overnight, you need to act fast to help prevent mold.
"First you need to take a lot of pictures of damage on the inside and outside of the house. Not only of your property but of surrounding properties, too, because flood insurance requires damage of other properties; and that can include the street," Hubbard explained.
Hubbard said you will want to get rid of any rugs and carpets that are soaked because flood water is not clean and can have harmful bacteria in it.
"Say you got up to six inches of water in your home, you have a water line on your drywall, and the insurance companies will let you cut out one foot above the drywall and pull it out to help dry your house out faster," Hubbard said.
He says if you do find mold creeping in after a flood, to call an expert to resolve it quickly before it spreads. But Milhelich isn't sticking around after this storm.
"We are going to find a new place to live. I feel bad for the homeowners here in Shore Acres with all this flooding. We just rent, but we are going to be moving out," Milhelich said.
10 Tampa Bay's Allison Kropff took a deeper dive last year into how to handle mold in your home, click here to learn more.
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