Flooding Closed State Forest - WMBB News 13 - The Panhandle's News Leader

Flooding Closed State Forest

She dumped nearly two feet of rain in some parts of North Florida, and the effects of Tropical Storm Debby are still being felt in the Panhandle. And with 24 inches, in about 3 days, Debby created a bad situation at Tate's Hell State Forest.

According to the Florida Forest Service, fifty percent of the 202 thousand acre State Forest flooded, causing it to close it to the public.

It's an area, according to Florida Forest Service Spokesman Todd Shroeder, that historically helped in bad weather.

"We had a couple of storms in the past that we were able to use the forest roads because 98 was taken out of the picture. So we used them as bypasses," says Shroeder.

But the flooding from Debby took the forest roads out of the picture.

"There was strong currents with the high water. We are also very concerned with public safety out on the forest during this time because so much of the roads and the grit from the roads are covered with high water. Fast moving water," says Shroeder.

Even with most of the high waters gone, the Florida Forest Service is still assessing the damage.

"What we'll do is well let nature take its course let the water runoff, at which time, we can get a better indication of what kind of damage we had to some of the roads," says Shroeder.

The Florida Forest Service expects the area to reopen on Monday