ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Some auto repair shops across Tampa Bay are seeing more business after Wednesday's storms flooded the area.
Drivers were stranded for hours, forcing many of their cars to be towed for repair. Wednesday's wet weather is still having a ripple effect with drivers paying the price for it.
Orlando Cruz, owner of MH Auto repair shop, is advising drivers to avoid flooded roads. Even if the water doesn't force the car to shut off, corrosion and other long-term damage to the insides of the vehicle pose a risk.
"If you see that the tire is actually hitting the rim.... don't go through it," Cruz said. "You don't know how deep it is if there's a low area going through the intersection."
Cruz showed 10 Tampa Bay a vehicle that had to be towed to his shop. Water eventually got inside and the car began to float because of the depth of the flood.
"Once you hydro-lock an engine, you're done," Cruz said.
10 Tampa Bay met with stranded drivers during Wednesday's storm, an experience one woman who's lived in Tampa for decades said she's never had.
"The water was so deep, I actually started praying out loud," Lorraine Parrino of Tampa said.
Parrino's 20-minute drive home turned into three hours that night.
Dana Gordon of Tampa shared she parked at a restaurant parking lot for 90 minutes as she watched drivers struggle to navigate the heavy amount of rainfall in a short amount of time in Tampa.
St. Petersburg Fire Rescue said first responders received 111 calls for service in a span of more than four hours. The majority of calls were related to vehicles trapped in floodwaters.
It was followed by downed power lines and triggered fire alarms. Despite that, the department said there were no storm-related injuries reported.
First responders are urging people to avoid driving through flooded areas and report any hazardous situations immediately.