LISTEN to an interview with Lt Mindy Lemmerman:
CROSS CITY -- Fred is due to head up the Gulf toward a possible landfall in northwest Florida.
Dixie County, about halfway between Tallahassee and the Tampa Bay area, bordered by the Gulf of Mexico and the Suwannee River, doesn't need any more water.
Lt. Mindy Lemmerman of the county's Emergency Services office says one measuring station has measured 38 inches of rain over the past 60 days as of Wednesday. Various measuring stations have recorded 12 to 20 inches over the last two weeks. Tropical Storm Elsa and other summer rain events have added to the total.
Forecasters say that Tropical Storm or Depression Fred could dump another three inches of rain over Dixie County. Lemmerman says that could be "devastating" on already saturated ground.
"We're definitely not looking forward to Fred. We hope he tracks away from us," Lemmerman said.
More than 40 roads are still flooded and about 125 homes and businesses saw water damage from the flooding that's already happened.
Lemmerman says they've ordered a new shipment of sandbags and they're urging people in flooded homes to get out. A shelter is open for county residents.
"Our road crews are busy, emergency services are busy. We're praying Fred heads west."
Dixie County has declared a local state of emergency due to flooding and is waiting for state and federal declarations. it's urging people to send pictures of damage to county emergency management to help with getting a FEMA declaration.
Photo: Canva