Water-Related News

Bartow declares emergency with Peace River alarmingly close to flooding

August 14, 2024

BARTOW – Residents along the Peace River in Bartow are under threat of flooding due to rain dumped by Hurricane Debby.

You can still see the high water mark from when the Peace River crept its way into Kelly Hernandez's backyard two years ago.

“It took a long time for that to recede,” said Hernandez.

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ABC Action News was at her home in 2022 when Hurricane Ian dumped massive amounts of rain, leaving Hernandez's yard and others along the Peace River, under water. She is worried it will happen again.

“It ruins the fence, it ruins everything. My plants, everything. You work so hard to fix it so nice after you retire. We're back to square one,” Hernandez said.

Wednesday the Peace River in Bartow was at 7.6 feet, which is considered the level when emergency preparations should be made for possible flooding. Bartow city leaders are now declaring a state of emergency.

“In my tenure here, this is the first time I can remember us going to the height of hurricane season with the river at this stage. So out of an abundance of caution we want to make sure that our critical infrastructure is protected and that we have a plan in place,” said City of Bartow Fire Chief, Jay Robinson.