Fay Becoming 'Catastrophic' Flood Event; 30 Inches Of Rain Expected

MELBOURNE, Fla. -- Tropical Storm Fay is becoming a catastrophic flooding event, dumping "historic" amounts of rain on parts of Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist said Wednesday.

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IMAGES: Latest Fay Paths - Maps
IMAGES: Catfish In Yards -- Top Viewer Photos

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The city of Melbourne shattered a 50-year-old rainfall record after Fay dumped hours of rain on Brevard County and other parts of Central Florida.

"This area is seeing historic levels of rain with totals in excess of 20 inches already," Crist said. "Additional rainfall of eight to fifteen inches is possible through Saturday."

The storm has already dumped 20 inches of rain in some cities.

"This storm is turning into a serious, catastrophic flooding event, particularly in southern Brevard County," Crist said. "The weather forecast tells us that some areas could receive rainfall as much as 30 inches."

Officials have recommended residents not travel around Central Florida because of the flooding.

Fay has been nearly stationary but was expected to move north and westward over the next few days and spread heavy rain across north Florida.

Tropical storm-force winds are forecast to spread along coastal parts of northeast Florida Wednesday night and early Thursday.

The National Guard has been activated and roughly 500 guard members have been sent to 14 counties throughout the state of Florida, Crist said.

Alligator Menaces Homeowners

Meanwhile, a Fay-flooded community is being warned about an alligator swimming in their streets and near homes.

"We have removed alligators, we have removed snakes and we've removed all kinds of wildlife," Brevard EOC Director Bob Lay said. "Our animal services and enforcement officers have been doing this all over the county for the last three days."

Residents on Wickham Road in Melbourne were forced to use canoes to maneuver around their flooded streets.

It's the same area an alligator was reported to be swimming in the flooded neighborhood streets.

Fay Hugs Coast

Tropical Storm Fay weakened Wednesday enough that it may not make it out into the Atlantic Ocean as predicted by the National Hurricane Center.

"We are watching it hug the coast," Local 6 meteorologist Tom Sorrells said. "If it doesn't come out to the open water, that is actually better for everyone as long as we can shut the rain off in southern Brevard County."

The system stalled Wednesday and continued to soak the area.

"We have talked about it being an agonizing run through Florida," Sorrells said. "The agonizing run is on. It is only drifting north at 3 mph. Basically, it has come undone."

Even if the system makes it out to the Atlantic Ocean, as indicated by the National Hurricane Center's path, it should not be a "slamming" landfall, Sorrells reported.

"It has stayed over land longer than anticipated and it has weakened quite a bit and that is great news," Sorrells said. "Even though flooding looks nasty, it is great news that it is not getting stronger."

Wind speeds associated with the system are reaching 35 mph on land with the stronger winds in the Atlantic Ocean Wednesday afternoon.

Tornado Damages 54 Homes

Also, at least three people were injured and 54 homes damaged when a Fay-spawned tornado touched down in Brevard County Tuesday.

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IMAGES: Tornado Damage

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Barefoot Bay resident Frank Amoretti reported seeing a tornado touch down in the vicinity of Brown Road and Puffin Drive west of U.S. 1 in Brevard County Tuesday afternoon.

"I saw the swirling and stuff and there was a lot of debris and everything," resident Frank Amoretti said. "As quick as it came in, it looked like it went right back up. It looks like part of a house or part of a roof and a couple of carports and a lot of aluminum and insulation and construction barricades from Mico Road."

Brevard County reported 50 structures were damaged by the tornado and nine of them were completely destroyed.

The tornado was confirmed by the National Weather Service to have touched down about an hour after it was reported, Wilson said.

The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for Brevard and Osceola counties before the damage reports.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.