EUSTIS, Fla. – Lake County on Monday declared a state of emergency after a large amount of rain fell in a short period of time Sunday.
More than a foot of rain fell in parts of Lake County — with Eustis getting over 19 inches of rain — which caused washouts in some areas.
Several roads in Mount Dora and Eustis are closed because of the rain and flash flooding.
[VIDEO: See drone footage of storm damage across Lake County]
In Mount Dora, where more than 17 inches of rain fell, a large section of Donnelly Street, from Limit Avenue and U.S.441, was washed away.
“I’ve never seen this, and I’ve been here for 50 years,” said Mount Dora resident Chris Scroup.
“They’re saying we got anywhere from 15 to 20 inches of rain. A lot of lightning. A lot of thunder,” he added.
[VIDEO: Flooding caused by over foot of rain washes out roads in Lake County]
There was also a washout at Timberlake Drive near Wolf Branch Road.
All westbound lanes and two eastbound lanes of State Road 46 near U.S. 441 in Mount Dora remain closed because of flooding. Drivers are asked to avoid the area.
“Donnelly will have a big impact on people in and around Mount Dora, and of course, Wolf Branch,” said Lake County Commissioner Leslie Campione. “This will have a major impact on traffic patterns.”
[WATCH: Drone video shows Wolf Branch Road in Mount Dora washed out]
In Eustis, East Crooked Lake Drive was closed at Country Club Drive because of two washouts near the roadway.
The city said Waycross Avenue at Abrams Road was also closed due to heavy rain and flooding.
“A lot of road damage,” said Campione. “A lot of very full storm water ponds, but areas where water is just going to the lowest place possible.”
[VIDEO BELOW: Rainfall totals across Central Florida]
With the weather-related impacts, Mount Dora delayed opening city offices until 10 a.m. for staff to safely arrive and allow crews to assess damages.
Mount Dora was also placed under a precautionary boil-water notice due to widespread flooding and potential impacts to the water system.
Campione, who is also chair of the county commission, said she signed an emergency declaration Monday morning, so the county could coordinate with state partners.
Eustis resident Stefanie Hibberd said she was driving home from Mount Dora when the rain began pouring down.
“You couldn’t see anything,” she said. “The streets were flooded. This was actually blocked off, and so we had to detour on the back roads to get down to where we actually live.”
[VIDEO: Lake County declares state of emergency after cities hit with up to 19 inches of rain]
Eustis officials said they responded to more than 100 calls for service during the storm. Despite the flooding, no injuries were reported.
“When you have a 1,000-year rain event, you are going to get some water intrusion into your utility system,” Eustis City Manager Tom Carrino said. “But our plants, our water plants, they keep doing their job, and those systems have continued to function.”
Meanwhile, Thomas Brooks lives on Wolf Branch Road near the washout. He said he uses it daily and will be significantly impacted by its closure.
“This is what we have to deal with now,” Brooks said. “Now, we have to go to 441. Now, 46 is closed. It’s not nice. We’re not real happy.”
During a news conference on Monday, News 6 asked Mount Dora Mayor James Homich about Wolf Branch Road and the next steps to get it fixed.
“Well, that’s not a city-maintained road. It’s county maintained,” Homich said. “They’re out there working on it now. I was there to see it. It’s a problem that we have constructed roads and houses in floodplains.”
[BELOW: Lake County declares state of emergency after cities hit with up to 19 inches of rain]
In a Facebook post, Lake County Florida Emergency Management posted:
In response to (Sunday) night’s rain event, Lake County has declared a local state of emergency. The Lake County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is now at Level 2 – Partial Activation.
To assist residents and staff during this time, the Citizens Information Line (CIL) will open at 1 p.m. Monday. Residents can call (352) 253-9999 to report damage to their home and property.
We encourage residents to stay alert, avoid flooded roadways, and follow official updates for road closures and safety information.
“Try to stay off the roads, because we’ve got to try to figure out what needs to be done and just keep everybody safe right now,” Campione said.
Lake County opened five sandbag sites at 11 a.m. Monday. The sites will be open until 7 p.m. but will close earlier if the weather deteriorates.
While the sites listed below will be staffed, residents should bring their own shovels and plan to fill their own bags. Each household will be limited to 10 bags.
- Frank Brown Sports Complex at 1245 E. Pine Ave. in Mount Dora
- East Lake Sports Complex at 24809 Wallick Road in Sorrento
- North Lake Regional Park at 40730 Roger Giles Road in Umatilla
- Pear Gateway Park at 26791 US Highway 27 in Leesburg
- Hickory Point Recreation Complex at 27315 S.R. 19 in Tavares
- Fire Station 10 at 23023 FL-40 in Astor
Lake County Schools said its campuses experienced little to no damage due to the flooring and would be open on Monday.
The district stated that buses would be on the roads but may experience delays.
If a student could not make it to school safely, the absence would be excused, according to the district.