Wimbledon: Second Williams sister still in tourney /B1 WEDNESDAY TODAY CITRUS COUNTY & next morning HIGH 85 Very windy; showers LOW likely and a slight chance of storms. 74 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com JUNE 27, 2012 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOLUME 117 ISSUE 325 NEWS BRIEFS Citrus County Bracing for Debby in state of emergency Due to expected high winds and coastal storm flooding in low-lying areas on the west side of Citrus County, the Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to de- clare a local State of Emergency for Citrus County. This event declaration will last for seven days. Although no mandatory evacuations have been ordered, emergency man- agement officials are opening a special-needs shelter at the Renais- sance Center in Lecanto at 3630 W. Educational Path, and a pet-friendly/ general population shelter at Lecanto Primary School at 3790 W. Educational Path, Lecanto. Both shelters opened at 7 p.m. Tuesday. More information re- garding shelter openings and evacuations will be activated and distributed through the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office. Citizens may call the Sheriff’s Of- fice Citizen Information Lines at 352-527-2106 or DAVE SIGLER/Chronicle 352-746-5470. Doreen Mylin, owner of Magic Manatee Marina, waits Tuesday night in hopes her husband could move two forklifts away from the rising waters along the Homosassa River. “The ‘no-name’ storm was worst. This will be the second-worst,” Mylin said. —From staff reports Debby’s tropical weather brings flooding to portions of Citrus County INSIDE MIKE WRIGHT The high tide Tuesday night was expected stein said, referring to coastal residents who LOCAL NEWS: Staff Writer to bring 3 to 5 feet additional water to areas have seen water rise steadily since Sunday such as Homosassa and Crystal River that al- when the area was soaked with rain by Debby. Swamped CRYSTAL RIVER — Citrus County offi- ready had not seen water levels budge “I’ve been doing this long enough to know if Weather leaves county cials braced Tuesday for possible high water throughout the day. Officials said another we ordered mandatory evacuations a lot of landfill under from Tropical Storm Debby, which made high tide Wednesday morning could bring people don’t leave. If people want to evacu- water./Page A3 landfall north of Cedar Key in mid-afternoon much of the same to Homosassa and Wood- ate, they have plenty of time.” and was downgraded to a tropical land Estates in Crystal River. The weather situation changed signifi- AROUND THE STATE: depression. Sheriff ’s Capt. Joe Eckstein, commander of cantly late in the day. Until then, Eckstein had With high water already flooding roads, the Citrus County Emergency Operations predicted the weakened storm would make parking lots and yards in coastal communi- Center in Lecanto, issued the voluntary evac- landfall Wednesday afternoon with little im- ties, the Citrus County Sheriff ’s Office opened uation at 5 p.m. pact on Citrus County. two shelters for voluntary evacuations west of “Everybody has already experienced four U.S. 19. high tides, so they know what to expect,” Eck- See DEBBY/ Page A5 Water turns streets into creeks in Crystal River SANDRA FREDERICK Homes and businesses standing water, making it a Staff Writer around N.E. 6th Street have health concern. been among the hardest hit Cutler Spur and nearby CRYSTAL RIVER — As in the city. Cars barely ex- roads had large puddles of Assessing high tides moved into the ceeded 5 mph as they navi- water, a reminder of the lin- King’s Bay on Tuesday gated the dangerous road gering storm. But overall How has Cedar Key morning, road crews moved behind Dunkin Donuts, during daytime hours, the weathered storm? barriers across intersec- which was under water /Page A3 water remained on roads tions because of flooded Tuesday afternoon. and not in houses. roads. A lift station in that same “By and large, folks have ENTERTAINMENT: Throughout the day, Crys- tal River City Manager area was hit with high weathered through this Andy Houston kept a close water, causing serious with great resilience,” eye on weather reports and problems. Houston said. tide charts, expecting the Closer to King’s Bay, curi- With reports of heavy worst yet to come. ous onlookers were turned flooding in the counties to RIC BUSH/Special to the Chronicle “When you get 12 inches away from Hunter Springs the south of Citrus, the city Water creeps close Tuesday to this Crystal River home. of rain in one day, it is a lot,” Park as city workers as- manager said things could he said. “With the tide and sessed the high-water lev- have been a lot worse. fortunate,” he said. reached at 352-564-2930 or the winds (added in) it is els. Houston said the park “In the grand scheme of Chronicle Managing Edi- sfrederick@chronicle problematic.” was closed because of the things, we have been pretty tor Sandra Fredrick can be online.com Stay or go? Ann Curry may be off the ‘Today’ show after a fall in ratings./Page B5 Lecanto couple pushed out of home by flooding — again COMING UP MATTHEW BECK salvage what we can from hopes of removing the Staff Writer this house. And the house water that has ruined the TOMORROW: needs to be demolished. lower portion of their More wild LECANTO — Marilou The next rain is going to do home, according to the Shook and her husband it again.” home owner. Shook said weather Lyle have never been This is the second major her beds were floating Read the Chronicle for homeless — before Sunday flood the Shooks have en- Monday when the water coverage on slow- night. dured since moving into was at its peak. moving Tropical Storm A weekend of intense their insured home on Cliff Hammer, Mrs. Debby./Thursday rain spun up from Tropical North Squirrel Tree Shook’s first cousin, and his Storm Debby, coupled with Avenue. wife Wally were two of the a home surrounded on “The house flooded 10 INDEX volunteers working to assist. three sides by steep terrain, days after we moved in back “This property receives Comics . .C6 has left more than 4 feet of in 2003,” she said. the runoff of approximately Community . .C1 water inside their first-floor Following the first flood, 17 acres of adjacent land,” Crossword . .C5 bedroom. Another foot and the couple made improve- Cliff Hammer said. “With Editorial . .A10 a half of water has invaded ments to the property to 11 1/2 inches of rain this Entertainment . .B6 the rest of the first floor of MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle prevent further problems; here weekend it all ran Horoscope . .B6 her Lecanto home. Marilou Shook explains how she and her husband, who is dis- but the immense amount of downhill and ended up in Lottery Numbers . .B4 The flood has left a terri- abled, narrowly escaped from their home Sunday night after rain over the weekend her living room.” Lottery Payouts . .B6 ble mess, forcing the couple their Lecanto house was flooded. She said the runoff from proved too much. One neighbor, Nick Miel- Movies . .C6 to evacuate their home of 10 nearby land caused the flooding. At one point she said her Rainwater standing 2 to 4 carek, and a neighborhood Obituaries . .A6 years. Where they will end bedroom had more than 4 feet of water inside. feet deep filled the front teen, Reid Carlton, spent all Classifieds . .C7 up remains uncertain. yard of the home, sending of Monday night manning TV Listings . .C5 “I’ve got to try to find tem- may be a problem. But my She said she and her hus- neighbors scrambling to two 4-inch pumps and a 3- porary housing,” the 74- daughter is going to come band, who is disabled and help. Six or eight neighbors inch pump that will remove year-old Mrs. Shook said this weekend to get them. on dialysis, have their work and family maneuvered the water onto an adjacent Tuesday morning. “I have Hopefully, I can find some- cut out for them. pumps and hoses around three small dogs, so that thing half-way furnished.” “Me and my husband will the front of the property in See FLOOD/ Page A2 A2 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012 CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle Nick Mielcarek works on a pump that is used to remove water from the front yard of Lyle and Marilou Shook’s Lecanto home. would do. solid-wood pieces and an- “They have been fantas- tiques that are wet and I DAVE SIGLER/Chronicle FLOOD tic,” she said. “They kept need to get them some- The Withlacoochee River has some residents of the communities of Arrowhead and Yan- Continued from Page A1 the pumps running all where dry so I can dry keetown worried about flooding. night and they’ve kept run- them. I have a chance to piece of land, away from ning out to get gas. I can’t save some of the stuff if I any homes. tell you all of the support can just get it out of there The Hammers estimated they have given us. Every- and I have to have a place the three pumps, turned on body has been so sweet and to put it.” Eyes on the river about 4 p.m. Monday, are wonderful.” The Shooks can be con- belching in the neighbor- With all of the help, fur- tacted at 352-586-1106 or by NANCY KENNEDY hood of 1,500 gallons of way of family members Staff Writer The National Weather Service has ther assistance for the cou- water an hour away from ple is needed.