OAK ORCHARD, De. -- People in Sussex County are feeling the brunt of what was Tropical Storm Ophelia. Especially in Oak Orchard and Millsboro, where homes and parks are practically underwater.
Mercer Avenue in Oak Orchard was a makeshift river. Moving water was cruising by trash cans and had encroached onto stairways. It didn't stop neighbors from traversing through the ankle-deep water. However, it could be because those neighbors told WBOC, they've seen this movie before.
"This is the 'norm' when Oak Orchard has a storm, every time the water comes up, the tide comes up and we know we're going to get it," said Robin Snow. "It's just mostly a question of how many tides are going to come up and flood us so this is a second high tide so we would expect that we would be underwater."
The multiple feet worth of water can make life very tough.
"We don't have access, we're unable to leave the home and this goes on for days," said Steve Becker.
It's why Becker and Snow want the county to step in, hopefully ensuring the flooding they know all too well happens less frequently.
"What happens when we have a significant storm?" questioned Becker. "This is a storm but this isn't crazy and to have this kind of flooding with this type of storm, I worry about the future, that's why this has to be addressed sooner rather than later."
In anticipation of the inclement weather, Becker removed almost everything from underneath his stilted home and Snow moved her car.
"For many of us it's just finding a neighbor who will let us park in their lot that's a little higher," said Snow. "Because I know once it floods down here sometimes it's days before the flooding goes down, on my street anyway."
Outside of that corner of Oak Orchard, River Road took its name rather literally. The road did get blocked off, but not everyone heeded the warning.
Now, Oak Orchard was not the only area of Sussex County that got drowned out. Over in Millsboro, today certainly was not a day to bring the kids to the playground, with swing sets and several parts of a park underwater.
The poor weather has Marty Gallagher of Oak Orchard hoping this weekend ends just as quickly as where he lives can flood.
"I just want it to pass and get gone, you know, and move on," said Gallagher.
