BARTOW, Fla. — In Bartow, there is major concern and growing anxiety along the Peace River as rainwater from Hurricane Milton is creeping its way toward low-lying communities.
While others have started to clean up from the effects of Hurricane Milton, people living along the river are worried that the worst is yet to come.
Tuesday marked the third time in 17 years that Felix Atkinson and his family were packing up and leaving their home in the Peace River Estates Mobile Home Park, where water there was already rising.
“It doesn't matter how many times,” Atkinson said. “It's just scary as hell man.”
The Bartow Fire Department has been visiting communities along the Peace River during the morning, afternoon and night. They’ve been using spray paint to mark the river's slow rise.
Evacuations are not mandatory, but if the water rises too high, officials have to shut off power. They're asking people to make a plan and consider leaving.
“Some of them have just decided to leave and then come back after it's all over. They've been through it several times. They would rather just leave and come back,” Deputy Chief Byron Moore said. “Some, it's been home for 10 or 20 years and they want to stay out there.”
The culprit here is water flowing downstream from Lake Hancock to the north. The lake is close to overflowing, so SWFMD keeps releasing water to avoid a massive overspill.
“Every point that they can reduce it, they do,” Moore said. “They have to control that, because we don't want it to be overcome at their lock areas and all and a ton of water come in. So, they're trying to manage that.”
Moore says Bartow's wastewater treatment plant has been shored up this time around so there's less concern about a breach there, but neighbors say they fear their community is about to go under.
“We are not coming back to this. No. We are done,” neighbor Christal Saunders said. “This place, it's bad.”
“After the water goes down, we'll take it from there,” Atkinson said. “But, right now, you better do what they say.”
The City of Bartow is working with the state to arrange temporary shelter for people who may have no place else to go.
City officials are also partnering with charities like the Red Cross and Salvation Army to help those who might be displaced.
Bartow city leaders say fortunately there's no rain in the forecast that would put any significant amount of new water into Lake Hancock and its tributaries to the north.
The Peace River was expected to crest Wednesday or Thursday.