City's Fay Damage To Top $10 Million; Crist Tours Flooded Florida
Community Of 600 Homes Has Pockets Of Chest-High Water
Several hundred homes in Melbourne have three to four feet of standing water inside of them Thursday after days of pounding rain from Tropical Storm Fay, Local 6's News partner Florida Today reported.The city of Melbourne's emergency manager said the $10 to $12 million damage estimate does not include the Lamplighter Village community -- which is submerged under chest-high water.Gov. Charlie Crist toured Lamplighter Village -- a community of 600 homes near Interstate 95 -- in a swamp buggy."I couldn't believe all of the water," Crist said.Crist said the area is the worse hit -- by far, Local 6's Adam Longo reported."We've lived through several hurricanes and (I have seen) nothing like this," flood victim Timothy Tucker said.There is still about four or five feet of standing water in and around Lamplighter homes."I saw water in my house and I'm like, 'Oh my God,'" Lamplighter Village resident Wayne Wyckoff said. "Cars were stuck and wreckers were pulling them out and I knew that I was going to lose everything. Everything is flooded. I lost everything."The National Guard has been the only personnel allowed into the subdivision to help the remaining people still inside their homes.There are five shelters in the county with about 106 people inside. However, the number was expected to grow Thursday night.Also, the Department of Natural Resources said a preliminary estimate of damage to the Brevard County beaches is about $2.6 million.
Brown, Sewage Water Floods Community
Fay-produced rains also flooded the Colony Park Mobile Home Village in Merritt Island, prompting health concerns.Brown water full of septic fluids flooded streets in the village and children in the area used it as a river playground.Local 6 News showed numerous children on bikes and surfboards playing in the water. “I have two kids and they think it’s neat and they’re having fun, but I’ve been looking out my door all day long, trying to help them be careful,” Janice Bline said.Fay Still Rainmaker
Meanwhile, the center of rotation for Tropical Storm came ashore on the east coast of Florida Thursday and continued to dump heavy rain in parts of Central Florida.The National Hurricane Center's new path of projected movement for Fay moves the storm west, across the state and a possible fourth Florida landfall."Thankfully, by Friday morning, (Fay) should be (located) just to the north of Ocala and on its way out of Florida, Local 6 meteorologist Eric Wilson said. "But if (Fay) does take this path into the Gulf of Mexico it would (make) its fourth landfall into Florida.""The good news with this is that the threat of tornadoes is almost nil in our viewing area," Wilson said.Fay should deliver rain into Central Florida until at least Friday.Record-Breaking Rain Continues
Fay has already dumped two feet of water in Melbourne, causing the city to shatter a 50-year-old rainfall record.Other parts of Brevard County have received similar totals."This area is seeing historic levels of rain with totals in excess of 20 inches already," Crist said during a news conference Wednesday. "Additional rainfall of eight to 15 inches is possible through Saturday."The storm dumped more than 24 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."Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
- August 20, 2008: Fay No Longer Predicted To Strengthen Before Third Fla. Landfall
- August 20, 2008: Fay Dumps Record-Breaking Rain; Flood Victims Warned Of Alligator Swimming In Streets
- August 20, 2008: Looters Prey On Fay Victims, Police Say
- August 20, 2008: Tolls Reinstated On Central Fla. Roads
- August 19, 2008: Fay-Spawned Tornado Injures 2 People, Damages 54 Homes
- August 19, 2008: Alligator Spotted Walking Street Near Fay-Spawned Tornado Touchdown
- August 19, 2008: Fay Surprises, Intensifies Over Florida
- August 19, 2008: Storm Closes Central Fla. Schools
- August 19, 2008: Fay Could Dump Rain For Days; Chance Of Strengthening Exists
- August 19, 2008: T.S. Fay Slows Down On Path Through Florida; Dumps Heavy Rain
- August 19, 2008: Fay Does Not Intensify Before Landfall; Storm Moving East
- August 19, 2008: Central Fla. Shelters Open For T.S. Fay
- August 19, 2008: Kite Surfer Dragged Through Streets, Into Building By T.S. Fay Waterspout
- August 19, 2008: Sandbags Offered In Orlando, Daytona
- August 19, 2008: 'Alarming' Price-Gouging Complaints Before Fay Include Flashlight Batteries
- August 18, 2008: Path Shows Fay No Longer Cat. 1 Storm At Landfall; Aims For Orlando
- August 18, 2008: Path Shows T.S. Fay Passing Through Orlando; Landfall As Cat. 1
- August 18, 2008: Path Pushes Fay Over Orlando
- August 18, 2008: Current Trends Move Fay Path East
- August 18, 2008: T.S. Fay's New Path Jogs East; Aims For Landfall Near Tampa As Cat. 1
- August 16, 2008: Path Puts Tropical Storm-Force Winds In Orange County Next Week
- August 16, 2008: Path Moves Fay Through Central Fla. As Weak Hurricane Or Tropical Storm
- August 16, 2008: Crist Declares State Of Emergency
- August 16, 2008: New Path Puts Category 1 Hurricane On Top Of Florida Early Next Week
- August 15, 2008: Tropical Storm Fay Targets Florida







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