The Black Creek is expected to rise to record setting water levels by lunchtime Wednesday.

Despite warnings from emergency management and voluntary evacuation notices, many residents along the water chose to ride out now-Tropical Depression Debby in their homes.  But the rapidly rising waters were too much for some to handle.

Mary Justino with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office says 8 people and 2 dogs have been rescued from their homes by boat so far.  These people were not in imminent danger, but rather could not handle the conditions as well as they expected.  Justino told me about one incident where a woman in her 70s and her dog were taken away after neighbors told the office they were concerned about her well-being.

She says, especially when dealing with the elderly, it is important to take every precaution possible.

“A situation that is tentative to begin with can become very serious should the power go out,” she says.

40-50 girls and their counselors at a leadership camp along the river were also evacuated to a local shelter because of the dangers of flooding on roadways around the camp.

And for those who remain on the river, Justino says most are staying dry in homes stilted above the water right now, but that could change very quickly.  She says the help people were receiving today may not be as readily available as the water level continues to climb.

“There is a chance that public safety personnel are not gunna be able to safely get to them should they decide overnight all of a sudden that they do want to be evacuated.”

At that point, emergency responders would have to wait until the water level receeds, which Justino says could take days based off past flooding incidents.

In that case, the neighbors which helped ready each other’s homes will continue to rely on the help of one another- something familiar to the Black Creek.

“This is a close knit community and people really do watch out for each other,” Justino says.

She says area residents were the ones who pointed out many of today’s rescues.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office says those who chose to stay in their homes need to avoid flood water, which could be contaminated.  All motorized boat traffic on the creek is prohibited at this point because of the flooding and swift currents.