LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — "Every floor in the house is gone. That water came in so hard it blew my floors out,” said James Lennon, who lives in Bonny Shores mobile home park. "I just put the plywood so I wouldn't fall through."
Lennon has lakefront property but for the weeks after Hurricane Milton, it was in-the-lake property.
The water receded from residential areas around Lake Bonny in Lakeland this week, which allowed Lennon to get back inside.
Several rooms and outdoor areas have water damage.
"This is a bedroom and the floors are totally gone and it went up on the walls and stuff,” he said.
Lennon, like many people who have spoken to News Channel 8, does not have flood insurance because their neighborhood is not considered a flood zone.
“FEMA’s been a nightmare. Took me three times to fill it out,” he said.
Across the street, parts of Lisa Houston’s home, including her husband’s “man cave,” filled with water.
Houston is in the same predicament as Lennon.
“It's just a matter of waiting on FEMA and seeing if we can get some help because we don't have flood insurance,” she said.
Residents said they voiced concerns about Lake Bonny’s high levels since the summer.
City officials said they began pumping water out of Lake Bonny on Aug. 5th.
"It's been operating continuously since August 5th with minimal downtime and the downtime only for maintenance and storm debris clearance,” said Lakeland city manager Shawn Sherrouse during a recent meeting.
Residents doubt the pump worked properly.
In late October, after Hurricane Milton dropped 12 inches on Lakeland and low-lying areas around Lake Bonny flooded, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began pumping 19,500 gallons per minute out of the lake.
The water has dropped 1.7 feet since Hurricane Milton hit.
"A total removal of over 80 million gallons is needed to lower the lake by one foot,” said Sherrouse.
Anyone who requires assistance from FEMA and would benefit from speaking with someone face-to-face can visit a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center.
It is located at W.H. Stuart Center at 1702 South Holland Parkway in Bartow and is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Sunday.