County Stretched Thin Responding to Tropical Storm Debby

The rain may have subsided a bit on Monday morning, but calls continued to flood the Hillsborough County Public Works Department.

Reports of flooding, washed out streets and other hazards made for a overwhelming day, said Steve Valdez, spokesperson for county public works.

"There are more roads then we have resources for," Valdez said. "And more roads then we have signs for. We are just absolutely inundated."

Record rainfalls were recorded this weekend as Tropical Storm Debby roared through the Tampa Bay area. The Northwest portion of the county was among the most impacted with 10 inches of rainfall reported in some areas, Valdez said. Four-thousand people in the region had reported power outages Monday, according to TECO.

"Right now we are doing everything we can to handle everybody as quickly as we can," Valdez said. "However, that doesn't mean your interior neighborhood streets will be cleared anytime soon. The priority is on health and safety issues, and main artery roads.

"People just need to be patient. All of our call centers are maxed out," he said. "Right now we’ve added extra people on."

Valdez said people should take advantage of the lull in rain by pumping their pools.

"The worst case scenario is that you'd have to add water later on."

Valdez also cautioned people from driving through high water.

"The weight those cars leave when they go through it creates an adverse effect on other properties," Valdez said. "If you see high water doesn’t risk it."