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FDOT crews work to shore up hillside that slid into Clermont home

CLERMONT, Fla. — Cleanup continues Thursday after a Clermont couple was forced from its home Tuesday night after a landslide filled the home with at least 3 feet of mud.

SR-50 sits on a hill above the home and water eroded the hill behind the house, which sent mud pouring into it, authorities said.

Inside the home, mud filled rooms, hallways and even a bathtub, covering nearly everything inside.

Officials said the slide happened Tuesday about 9 p.m. after the area was pounded with heavy rain.

"A lot of water fell in (such) a short amount of time that the drainage system couldn't handle," said Todd Hammerle of the Florida Department of Transportation.

While property owners hired crews to secure the building, FDOT crews worked to try to shore up the embankment as a precaution.

When renter Myrian Suarez went home the day of the slide, it took her 30 minutes to force the front door open. Once inside, she discovered the mess.

"The window exploded," she said. "A river of mud came pouring out."

On Wednesday, firefighters helped the residents dig out some of their possessions and salvaged what they could.

Even though the couple lost belongings, they're thankful they weren't inside when the mud came crashing in.

"For me, material things aren't really that important," said Suarez. "It could have been worse. Thank God I'm alive."

The mudslide left a hole in the hill, so FDOT crews filled in it in order to keep more erosion from happening and threatening the road.

As for the displaced residents, their property manager found them another place to stay and a storage unit for their things.