Englewood neighborhood drying out ahead of potential heavy rain

Debris on front lawns, homes gutted and roofs in need of repair. People in one Englewood community say they are not ready for another bout of rain, let alone another tropical storm.

Neighbors are working around the clock now to dry things out as several inches of rain could come their way.

This is what sisters Caroline and Melissa came home to the day after Helene. Everything was soaked and the water line sat nearly four feet off the ground.

“That was just where it sat,” said the sisters. “But that’s not including the wake and the waves that were rushing in here.”

They know that because they stayed.

The sisters and their 82-year-old mom were rescued by the fire department.

Mom didn’t want to leave.

“Mothers, I guess, can be a little stubborn. You know, this is her home. This has been her home,” said Caroline Wright. “Nothing’s happened like this in this neighborhood, as far as I know, in 80 years.”

Not during Ian, nor in the 30-some years they’ve called it home.

Mom’s sick. The sisters moved in to help out, and together they’re salvaging what they can, working non-stop since Helene.

“All these pictures, you know, memorabilia that we can’t get back, all the other stuff we can replace,” said Wright.

Grandpa’s medals, Mom and Dad’s wedding pictures and Christmas ornaments.

The rest sits on the curb.

While they dry the place out, another rainmaker looms in the gulf.

“But I can’t think about that right now. I got to think about what we’re doing today, and my mom being, you know, just we’re just glad we’re safe. We have a roof over our heads,” said Wright.

The models predict around 5 inches of rain in Englewood from Sunday through next Wednesday.

“The ground can’t absorb any more water,” said Wright, “so we’re just hoping that we can get this stuff out of here, up and down the whole block, before the rains hit.”

Look down Lemon Bay Drive, every neighbor’s home sits in piles on the street.

“I think it’s going to be pretty bad because this road has a drainage issue to begin with,” said Englewood resident David Weirs.

The good news is that neighbors told WINK News their roofs did all right, so the fear isn’t water coming down on the home; it’s sitting on already-soaked ground and rising up.

The county has not yet provided a date for picking up all this, but neighbors hope it’s soon.