Rain, Rain, Rain, and Flooding

Along the Nature Drive on 8.19.19 Photo by Vic Doig

Along the Nature Drive on 8.19.19 Photo by Vic Doig

For comparison, on a dry winter day.

Roads on the Refuge, on the Levy County side, are still closed as of August 22 due to flooding. County Road 347, from which one accesses the Refuge roads, was closed for several days. It reopened on Wednesday August 21.

Refuge staff members are monitoring the roads and other areas.

Refuge Biologist, Vic Doig, reports that "The Refuge area received over 20" of rain between Aug 14 - Aug 18th, and much of the area is heavily flooded.  The last time we saw nearly as much rain in a short period was during Hurricanes Francis and Jean in Sept 2004, when about 15" fell over a few days.  All Refuge roads are currently closed, and even some adjacent highways are partially closed due to flooding.  For comparison sake, our average annual rainfall is about 50" a year - we are already well above that with this recent event, and it is still August!!  Let's all hope and pray for a dry hurricane season this year."

When Refuge Manager Andrew Gude checked on the Nature Drive yesterday, he reported that "In a brief period of time I saw, in the same view, a gator laying in the road, a snake moving across it, gar swimming like salmon over the road, and an egret standing on the downside of the road nailing fish as they came over the road."