Lineman’s home in Zephyrhills continued to flood almost two weeks after Milton

ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — It should be a happy homecoming for Shelby Lovell after weeks spent mostly away from home in Zephyrhills.

When he returned home, the only thing he could think about were hugs and kisses from his wife and two boys, ages 12 and 1.

Instead, when he returned to his Hazelwood Drive home, he found it still surrounded and covered with floodwaters nearly two weeks after Hurricane Milton.

“I would rate it a total loss,” he said.

Why was Lovell absent during and after Milton? He is among the many selfless linemen who helped restore power to homes in Tampa Bay.

“I have put in a lot of time over the last four weeks. “I won’t reveal how long I’ve been doing this, but it’s a lot longer than people could imagine,” he said.

He is already tired of it, now experiencing a new level of exhaustion, and feels that he and his neighbors are not receiving help from government officials.

“NO. We’re not,” he said. “It looks like we’re at the bottom of the totem pole.”

He and seven other neighbors who flooded live in the Zephyrhills area, which has recently been struggling with drainage problems – problems that Lovell’s wife, Becky, said are getting worse due to the area’s rapid development.

WFTS

“It’s heartbreaking that everything we worked for is gone,” she said through tears.

These problems make her husband’s return home very bittersweet.

ABC Action News contacted Pasco County about an issue in the area. A spokesman said public works workers will be visiting the area with pumps to help alleviate the current flooding.