THOMASVILLE, Ga. --- Shellie Hancock craved a juicy steak after being stranded for four days in a neighborhood that was hit by a 28-hour power outage and serious flooding from the high winds and torrential rains of Tropical Storm Fay.

Mrs. Hancock's husband, Lee, was out of town on business when Fay's fury reached the Thomasville area in southwestern Georgia on Friday evening, blowing down a large hickory tree in their front yard.

Although their house was high enough to escape the flooding, the homes of 11 of their neighbors in the upscale Plantation Woods subdivision, along with the road leading to their property, were inundated. Some residents reported 5 feet of water in their homes.

Kevin and Kristie White said they grabbed their six cats and two dogs and headed for higher ground when their home was knee-deep in water.

"We've virtually lost everything," Mr. White said.

"Everything we have is still inside."

Being home alone during a tropical storm was a scary experience, Mrs. Hancock said.

"I spent Friday night in the bathroom," she said. "I had my cell phone clutched in one hand and flashlight in the other, and I was listening to my weather alert radio."

The neighborhood was still flooded Tuesday when her husband arrived and borrowed one of five fishing boats docked at the water's edge to rescue his wife.

The road into the area remained covered with water, and, except for exposed mailboxes, it resembled a calm stream winding through dense foliage instead of a residential street.

Mrs. Hancock said the neighbors thought she was out of town, too. But, thanks to her cell phone, she was not totally deprived of human contact.

"I talked to my husband all night," she said. With no power for cooking, she said she survived on grilled chicken and Cheerios.

She planned to check into a motel and dine on steak.

None of the flood victims were around Tuesday afternoon, only their five boats.

Officials said rainfall accumulations of up to 30 inches were recorded in the southern part of Thomas County as the storm swept through northern Florida on Friday and Saturday.

Lisa Griffis, the county's deputy Emergency Management director, said flooding in Plantation Woods was worse than in any other neighborhood.