Flooding in Orlando leaves drivers stranded

ORLANDO, Fla. – Parts of Colonial Drive were covered with water Saturday night.

"I didn't realize what was going on, and then I realized I was in a puddle of water," Brianna Willis said.

Willis was driving home from work when she, like others, got stuck in the rising waters along Colonial Drive.

"I seen the water actually coming up into my car. It was about (at) my break and my gas pedal," Willis said.

She called 911 immediately. As she waited, the water rose as cars continued to drive past her.

"Cars were passing me like large trucks are still passing me and they're creating waves pushing my car. My car was tilted and at one point I though I was about to flip over," Willis said.

Willis said the rush of the water was so strong she thinks it's what caused the front of her bumper to come off.

"It felt like waves," Willis said. "The waves were so hard it was as if I was like those shows that you see with the boats and the storms hitting the boat. It was terrifying."

The damage to the outside of her car isn't Willis' only concern.

"I have not even seen the inside but I'm sure it's still filled with water. With all of my belongings damaged. School books, clothing, personal items. Everything. Homework that I've been working so hard on. Just everything is damaged," Willis said.

Nicole Stevens was lucky enough to pull her car into a nearby parking lot. Like Willis, she didn't see how high the water had risen.

"We was turning in right here and it was just flooded. I didn't see anything. It was too dark and so the car got flooded," Stevens said.

Drivers were diverted to Pine Hills Road while Colonial Drive was closed. The floodwaters weren't too much better there. Some of the water made its way to the front doors of a restaurant.

Traffic lights were out at Colonial Drive and Orange Blossom Trail.

Colonial Drive reopened just after 9 p.m. Saturday.