A Cape Coral woman is raising concerns after water engulfed her front yard and swallowed her friend’s car.
The incident occurred on Thursday near Everest Parkway and Southeast 16th Place.
Libertad Castro described the shock of witnessing her friend’s car sink under the water.
“All of a sudden, we look out the window and we see a lot of water in here,” said Castro. “And then we see her car sinking and sinking. And then we’re all, you know, like screaming, oh my god, the car is going down.”
Crews worked for hours to retrieve the car after a crew installing underground electrical lines hit an irrigation line. Castro said the city responded by filling the hole with dirt, but water reappeared, widening the hole.
“The city came, they put a lot of dirt in here, and they compacted and everything,” said Castro. “But to my surprise yesterday, like around after 6 p.m. I guess after everybody got home, the water, there was solar water there, but then started receding over here, and the hole became bigger and closer to the tree.”
Ana Acebedo, a nearby resident, said the flooding reached her home within minutes, damaging her driveway.
“That dirty water came and stained our driveway,” said Acebedo. “My husband tried to pressure wash it out but the stains won’t come off.”
With more rain expected, Castro expressed concern about potential flooding in her home. She said the city promised to return but had not yet done so.
“It may sound exaggerated, but for those of us. Us that are living it and see it getting bigger and bigger and bigger then, then that’s, that’s what it is,” said Castro. “We’re sort of traumatized. We’re scared. That’s why, you know, we want help.”
Castro and her neighbors are urging the city to repair the situation before it worsens.