MIMS, Fla. – A round of intense afternoon storms triggered significant flooding in Mims on Tuesday, forcing residents out of their homes and prompting a response from the American Red Cross.
Water overwhelmed a 10-unit apartment complex along U.S. 1 and Irwin Avenue, leaving the building nearly surrounded by floodwaters. Management officials said the flooding began around 11 a.m.
[VIDEO BELOW: Edgewater deals with more flooding issues]
“We’re just going to have to clean up a mess, basically,” said Sue Goldthorp, who works with the company managing the property. “We haven’t seen the full extent of the damage yet because we haven’t been able to get into all the units.”
From the outside, Goldthorp estimated about 18 to 24 inches of water had entered the apartments, which she said likely caused considerable damage to residents’ belongings and interiors.
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The American Red Cross responded to assist tenants. Kathy Burkett, a Red Cross representative who also lives in Mims, said she offered help even as her own home suffered flood damage.
“I had water flood two rooms in my house,” Burkett said. “But our primary mission is to help others, and that’s why we’re out here today.”
Just down the street, Sherry Keene said her 78-year-old mother’s home narrowly avoided taking on water. After five hours of pumping, Keene said the water level stopped just inches from the front door.
“It’s very frustrating,” Keene said. “My mom is older. Every time it rains hard, she worries because there’s nowhere for the water to go. It’s a constant stress on her.”
Keene said the neighborhood’s lack of proper drainage is a long-standing issue.
“The only drainage we have goes to U.S. 1, and then it just stops. So when it gets full, it backs up and comes inside the houses. It’s a shame,” she said.
[VIDEO: Tropical downpours floods yards in north Brevard County during flash flood warning]
Earlier on Tuesday, Tom Dankowski showed correspondent James Sparvero flooding by his yard in the Fawn Lake neighborhood. Fawn Lake is west of I-95 off State Road 46.
“When it rains Fawn Lake is underwater,” Dankowski said. “And God forbid, we get a hurricane.”
Hurricane Ian flooded Mims in 2022 and destroyed a lakefront restaurant.
Dankowski compared Tuesday’s weather with the storm three years ago.
“This is just one typical Florida rainy day,” he said. “My concern is a lot of the power grid is underground which means it’s under water right now. And in furtherance, I’m afraid, foundationally, a lot of the homes are going to fracture, or break, or sink because of the fact of the dirt, construction, sand, everything, is so soft.”
Brevard County told Sparvero it received no reports of anyone being hurt or needing rescued from any flooding Tuesday.
Residents said while the area experienced flooding during Hurricane Ian, they had never seen water levels rise so quickly after just a single afternoon storm.