This browser does not support the Video element.
Torrential rain carves massive gully under house
A Mount Dora family is now homeless after floodwaters wiped away the foundation of their home, causing it to be condemned.
MOUNT DORA, Fla. - Torrential rain on October 26 led to unprecedented flooding in parts of Lake County.
Floodwater forced the ground to give way near Timberlake Drive in Mount Dora, leaving behind a massive gully and putting one family at risk.
What they're saying:
Following the storms, Joey Benitez’s home was left teetering on the edge.
"I’m surprised it’s still standing – I don’t know how," Benitez told FOX 35’s Hannah Mackenzie.
Benitez was inside with his family when the water rushed in. It was like a raging river, he said, complete with white caps.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX LOCAL APP
"We just started to hear the house rocking; you could just feel it going downward," Benitez recalled. "That’s when we all left, ran outside – grabbed everything that we could and just watched everything wash away."
How things are looking
Everything underneath the home has been hollowed out.
"You can see straight through the bottom of the house to the other side," Benitez said. "The electricity wires are hanging, you still have a little bit of plumbing left, but it ripped out most of the plumbing underneath there."
Exposed support beams are solely supporting the structure’s weight. It was condemned by a Lake County inspector on October 27.
What's next:
Benitez is temporarily calling a 20-foot pop-up camper home. It’s cramped conditions for two adults, his teenage daughter and their dogs, Mocha and Coco – but they have nowhere else to go, he said.
"Our lives are all over the place… it’s scrambled," Benitez said. "Where are we going to put the Christmas tree this year? We planned on having Thanksgiving at our house this year with our friends and family… we don’t even know."
Benitez said his home is not a flood zone, and he did not have flood insurance, so his insurance company denied his claim.
SIGN-UP FOR FOX 35'S BREAKING NEWS, DAILY NEWS NEWSLETTERS
Benitez said his property has never flooded like this in the past. According to Benitez, the only thing to change in the last five years is the surroundings.
"This shouldn’t have happened," Benitez said. "There’s obviously a big problem. I think it has a lot to do with the new construction that’s all around us. There’s a drainage issue coming from up over the hill that way."
What you can do:
The family has started a GoFundMe page to help get back on their feet.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by Mount Dora homeowner Joey Benitez, whose home has been condemned due to damage to its foundation from flooding on Oct. 26.