Pete Brewer and his crew got the call from property owners in Miami who couldn’t reach their animals near Charlie Creek. The Peace River was at major flood stage, 16.5 feet, and some of the livestock stood in six to seven feet of water. Brewer’s team went out in john boats and then brought in horses, moving 16 cows, a donkey and three goats to dry ground. “If we hadn’t got them that night? They would have drowned,” Brewer said.
What made this flood strange is the timing. It happened in the dry season, with no hurricane driving the water up. Brewer called that unusual, and neighbor Bobby Fussell blamed development for pushing water into rivers and creeks with no way to contain it. The riverside community remained flooded even after the animals were safe, and forecasters expect the river to fall out of major flood stage as early as tomorrow morning, though it will stay high for a while.
The practical reminder here is worth repeating to every Suncoast household: heed flood warnings and never drive through flooded roads. As Brewer put it, just get out when they tell you to get out. Have a plan for your pets and livestock before the water rises, not after.
Have you ever had to evacuate animals ahead of rising water? Share your story in the comments.
