Part of Lake Jesup shore disappears as homes flood after Hurricane Ian
For many right now, boats are more about basic transportation than recreation. Many near Lake Jesup are navigating water to get home.
"Last night, it wasn't that bad, you can see where it's creeping up. Yesterday, it was right there where the weeds stop. That's where it was yesterday and now it's up to here, trying to join that canal,” Don Kinch said.
Where he lives was built a little higher than others along Lake Street, so he's dry right now. But it's close.
"Got everything packed. All my furniture's up on blocks. If it gets any worse today, just may pack up and leave,” Kinch said.
Lake Jesup's just one of many areas where the St. Johns River is extremely high – historically so.
“I've never seen it like this before and a friend of mine over here. He's been here 50 years and he's never seen anything like it either,” Kinch said.
“This is the front of our house which has never had water up that far before,” Nancy Hurley said.
Hurley scrolls through some photos on her smartphone. After Irma surrounded their home five years ago, they decided to spend significant dollars to lift the entire house 10 feet which may have been a good move considering there's water in that space now used for storage.
"Right now I would say, two and half, maybe three feet,” Hurley said.
But the home itself is lifted.
“We're high and dry. And we're actually just sticking out of the water. We're surrounded on all four sides,” she said.
They are high, dry and committed to lakefront living.
"We have no intention of leaving. We're going to stay right here, and we're going to wait for the water to recede, whenever that might be, and get it cleaned up and enjoy that beautiful porch we have upstairs,” Hurley said.
Seminole County officials expect Lake Jesup to crest either Tuesday or Wednesday.