Brevard's Rain Total Reaches 22 Inches: Turkey Creek Washed Out Part of Port Malabar Road, and No Flood Deaths Have Been Reported
National Weather Service gauges in Brevard County reached 16 to 22 inches of rain by Monday afternoon, Turkey Creek washed out part of Port Malabar Road, crews were still pulling people from homes in high-water trucks — and, as of Monday afternoon, no flood deaths had been reported.
Brevard County's flood day ended with a bigger number than it began with. National Weather Service gauges showed 16 to 22 inches of rain had fallen by 3:36 p.m., the Florida Man News Network's flood file reports — up from the 15-to-20-inch range that defined the morning's Flash Flood Emergency — as a stalled low-pressure system kept pulling tropical moisture over Florida's Atlantic coast. In Palm Bay, Turkey Creek overflowed and washed out part of Port Malabar Road, a water main broke, and the city says a boil-water notice will follow once service returns.
The rescue work ran all day. Crews used high-water trucks to pull people from their homes, Palm Bay Fire Rescue turned three brush trucks into high-water vehicles and asked the state for two more, and Sheriff Wayne Ivey said 911 was 'inundated.' Brevard County Emergency Management warned that portions of Interstate 95 could have standing water, official traffic records identified flooding on West New Haven Avenue near Wickham Road in Melbourne, and the flooding pushed Titusville's wastewater system to capacity while Brevard Zoo closed early. Against all of that sits the day's most important line: no flood deaths had been reported as of Monday afternoon.
Tuesday in Brevard will run on the flood's timetable. The county has posted a damage self-report form for residents whose homes took flood damage — the form helps assess community impacts — while county government facilities were closed Monday and the Supervisor of Elections office in Viera stays open for Tuesday's election, so Brevard's Election Day goes ahead in a county where schools, courts and colleges are shut. Brightline's Orlando-West Palm Beach trains also stay parked: the railroad will inspect tracks, signals and crossings once the water recedes and will resume only when it is safe, and local reporting indicates the suspension could continue beyond Tuesday, even as South Florida trains between West Palm Beach and Miami run normally and affected passengers are contacted directly.
