County's Fay Damage Total Hits $58M
Fay's wrath in total losses to the county is expected to rise, since the initial damage assessment does not include damage to roads, drainage, infrastructure and other public facilities, and does not include damage assessments projections for Cocoa, Local 6 News partner Florida Today reported. "We spent a lot of time in Cocoa and Merritt Island today," said Jeff Welsh, spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA. "There were pockets where there was obvious flood damage." "I think we've finished this part of the process," he continued. Despite some confusion Friday caused by a local television station about whether FEMA already was providing financial assistance, the federal agency must wait until the president approves the request. Crist could not make a request until he had access to the assessment team's report, Florida Today reported."We've received over 500 phone calls," said Dianna Gee, spokeswoman for FEMA's regional office in Atlanta. "But we haven't been authorized for assistance yet."Earlier this week, the state received an emergency declaration that provided federal underwriting for debris clearance and other storm-related steps.Preliminary damage estimates for Brevard County, where Fay lingered earlier in the week, included more than 1,500 homes with at least some damage and 155 mobile homes destroyed, officials said. Nearly 800 mobile homes were still inaccessible. The preliminary dollar value of the damage countywide: $53 million.Welsh said homeowners should be patient and wait for the process to finish. But unremitting heavy rains Friday continued to cause fresh damage.In Port St. John, raw sewage spilled out near U.S. 1 and Fay Boulevard after a lift station failed. The county worked late Friday to keep the sewage from pouring into the Indian River through the stormwater drains.In Palm Shores, a road that collapsed on Thursday deteriorated further Friday, threatening several homes and stranding nearly 50 residents."We are hoping that the EOC (Emergency Operations Center) will put this as a No. 1 priority in the county for FEMA help," Mayor Carol McCormack said.Many residents of Stratford Drive in West Cocoa wondered what kind of public assistance they would get."I'm praying someone comes to our rescue," said resident Loretta Bell.The preliminary estimate of damage to Brevard Public Schools reached $1 million and could increase after further assessments, according to district spokesman Wes Sumner. The brunt of the damage occurred at Clearlake Middle School in Cocoa. The first floor of the school flooded. An emergency contractor is removing the water and cleaning up the mess.Municipalities continued gathering information to estimate storm damage, but few made formal announcements.Cocoa Beach officials said they were lucky to have only about $500,000 in damage to houses and city property. Titusville officials said damage to city-owned property topped $825,000.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
- August 21, 2008: Raw Sewage-Filled Flood Waters Prompt Fay Health Warnings
- August 21, 2008: Expert: Fay To Bring Mosquito Outbreak
- August 21, 2008: Bush Declares State Of Emergency In Fla.
- August 21, 2008: City's Fay Damage To Top $10 Million; Crist Tours Flooded Florida
- August 21, 2008: Crist Tours Flooded Homes; Community Under Chest-High Water
- August 21, 2008: Flooding Closes Busy Cental Fla. Ramp
- August 21, 2008: Canoes, Airboats Used To Flee Flooded Neighborhoods
- August 21, 2008: Zig-Zagging Fay Path Includes Fourth Fla. Landfall; More Record-Breaking Rain
- August 21, 2008: Fay Dumps Record-Breaking Rain; Flood Victims Warned Of Alligator Swimming In Streets
- August 21, 2008: Fay Path Shows Storm Moving Across Fla.
- August 20, 2008: Fay Becoming 'Catastrophic' Flood Event; 30 Inches Of Rain Expected
- August 20, 2008: Curfew Issued For Flooded Satellite Beach
- 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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