Floodwaters cut off Lake Placid neighborhood

Well, tonight, a desperate message from a Lake Placid neighborhood completely cut off by floodwaters. They're stranded. They're asking for help from anybody. The only road into their community was washed away. Fox 13's Carla Byron says dozens of mostly elderly residents are now trapped. Across the now impassable Abel Road, Eagles Nest residents communicate by holding up a cardboard sign reading seven days, no road help. The neighborhood located near Lake Estacapoga consists of 29 homes, primarily elderly residents. Five or 600 acres worth of water is in here times however many feet deep. It's a tremendous amount of water, and our private road didn't stand a chance. Ken Crew, the HOA president, says Monday's flooding washed away their road and a neighboring sod and citrus farm, Triton Farms. Marco Sanchez, the farm's manager, spent more than a full day trying to scrape up dirt and build a dam to hold the floodwaters back. But the volume of water was just too great. We cry. We cry because this is a big problem. The water is floating. The equipment and the farm is floating in the water. Highlands County crews filled in the damaged areas as much as they could, and sheriff's deputies went door-to-door warning people to leave while they could. However, Cruz says they only had a good half-hour window before the road became impassable again. He adds they have enough food and water, their power is back on, and they can travel by boat to Windy Point. They just want the road fixed so fire trucks and ambulances can get through if need be. I set up a landing zone for medical flights. If we needed it, but we have wonderful people around the community and over here, it's my responsibility to protect them. And we need help. They have contacted a local contractor to see what temporary repairs they can handle themselves. Community members have offered rooms and Airbnbs for residents, but for some it's a major expense, so the only option is to stay. In Lake Placid, Carla Byron, Fox 13 News. Well, it is unclear just how long it'll take before those floodwaters go down. Highlands County remains under both state and local declarations of emergency.