BAKER COUNTY, Fla. — Baker County residents living along the St Marys River are still experiencing major flooding from Hurricane Debby.
Since Monday, the river rose 12 feet and will crest on Wednesday at 8 a.m. at 20.3 feet.
On Tuesday, Steel Bridge Road flooded and people were forced to wade and boat through the water to get to and from their homes.
“I had no fear," Aleara Eaton told First Coast News after her and her husband, Skyler, waded through the water from their home.
The two gathered essentials from their home before leaving to stay with family.
“Toothbrush, toothpaste, shower stuff," Eaton said.
The St. Marys River rose 12 feet higher than normal, surrounding the Eaton's and their neighbor's homes.
“Houses almost completely underwater, can’t see none of the road, it’s bad, real bad," Robert Johnson said.
Baker County Fire Rescue called Johnson and his airboat for help.
“We brought one guy out to safety that wanted to come out, but there’s still more people out there that just want to ride it out,” Johnson said.
John Williams is not one of those people waiting it out in his home. He instead came to try to check on it.
"If you don’t have it [your home] on stilts, you’ll lose it during these floods," Williams said. "They tend to happen every four to six years."
Neighbors say they’ve waded in their home before. But for some, it was their first time.
“It’s crazy, it’s wild," Eaton said.
Long-time neighbors in the area say they haven't seen flooding in their neighborhood like this since 2012, when the river topped at 24 feet during a storm also named Debby.