STEINHATCHEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The Taylor County Sheriff and the Emergency Management Director said the Steinhatchee River is back to its normal levels, but that doesn't mean help is no longer needed in the area.
"We lost everything in the house," said Steinhatchee homeowner Billy Ray Barnett.
Barnett's home off of the Steinhatchee river is now a shell of what it used to be.
"We got nothing left in the house," said Barnett. "Carpet is gone, everything."
Barnett, who has lived in Steinhatchee for over thirty years, now comes by the Taylor County Sheriff's Office once a week to get things like granola bars, water, and cleaning supplies. Even though Barnett has seen the worst of the destruction the flooding has caused - the stuff he's picking up isn't for him.
"I'm the kind of person that gives them to other old people and give it to them," said Barnett.
For the past three weeks, the Taylor County Sheriff's office has been getting donated supplies from the Hope Center out of Macon Georgia.
Sheriff Wayne Padget said they saw the need to offer free supplies when they saw stores underwater.
"Some of our grocery stores and supply stores went underwater and they weren't able to get the supplies that they need, so this is part of the group effort to help everybody in the community that's under stress and strain of the water going up in their houses," said Padget.
Help people like Barnett greatly appreciate.
"We had enough," said Barnett. "About 20,000 dollars worth of damage. But we'll get by."
Sheriff Padget told ABC 27 that they'll be out here at the Taylor County Sheriff's Office Seinhatchee Sub-Station for the next two weeks every Tuesday handing out what's left of their emergency supplies.
