Resident along Lake Jesup evacuate ahead of floods

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Lake Jesup is flowing right into Joe Hurley’s backyard, and the alligators are coming with it.

“When you step out the door, you look around or you’ll get a surprise,” Hurley said.

Overflow from Lake Jesup now reaches all the way to the back of his Oviedo home, so his family didn’t waste any time packing up their entire house, loading it on a truck and getting out before the water arrives.

“We’re moving out! We’ve got a small house. We’ve got a storage unit,” Hurley said.

His next door neighbors are leaving too and have rented a U-Haul truck to move all of their belongings.

“It’s getting to scary, so we decided to just go ahead and get a truck and move; at least put everything in storage until things get better,” said Ramona Herrera.

Officials warned residents on Wednesday about the domino effect of one lake spilling over into the next in the chain of lakes along the St. Johns River.  It started with Lake Harney, now Lake Jesup residents are feeling the effects, and pretty soon, Lake Monroe residents will be impacted.  The water in Downtown Sanford is already creeping up near the seawall.

“I’m hoping it doesn’t rain to the point where we have to have to hurry up and get out,” Herrera said.