Hurricane Ian threatens waterlogged Space Coast with more flooding, forecasters warn
Heavy rainfall has drenched the waterlogged Space Coast the past 14 days, with many neighborhoods on and near Merritt Island receiving 8 to 10 inches of precipitation — or more.
Friday, many Brevard County residents were alarmed to see Tropical Storm Ian is projected to strengthen into a major hurricane — and potentially plow ashore by midweek near Tampa-Southwest Florida.
By 8 a.m. Saturday, a line of more than 100 motorists idled outside Mitchell Ellington Park on Merritt Island, waiting to pick up free sandbags to ward off Ian's flooding threat.
“Most places are pretty waterlogged. And soil moisture is certainly elevated at this time," said Brendan Schaper, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service station in Melbourne.
"Soils right now are well above normal one- to two-week rainfall. So they're primed and ready to go, basically, for potential localized flooding with any heavy rainfall that falls over the area," Schaper said.
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“The takeaway is, given the amount of rainfall that has fallen, depending on the track we could see an additional 6 to 8 inches — and locally higher amounts — with Ian. And so, that will exacerbate any of the current flooding concerns that are already there," he said.
“We're just telling folks, ‘Stay up on the latest forecast.’ Because what might seem to be small changes in the track can result in big differences, in terms of the impacts with flooding and wind," he said.
Sandbag distribution sites open in Brevard County
Brevard County Public Works and the Brevard County Sheriff's Office launched the Merritt Island sandbag distribution site Saturday morning at Mitchell Ellington Park, 577 Hall Road. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Participants can get up to 10 sandbags per vehicle free of charge.
Three additional sandbag distribution sites will open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., starting Sunday:
Chain of Lakes, 2300 Truman Scarborough Way, Titusville.
Wickham Park, 2500 Parkway Drive, Melbourne.
Eastern Florida State College Palm Bay campus, 250 Community College Parkway SE.
"Our main concern right now is flooding. Which is why we started our sandbag operations in the north part of the county, because north Merritt Island certainly had its fair share of rain — and even more than its fair share," Brevard County Communications Director Don Walker said.
"They've already had flooding issues in that area. That's why we're starting there, but we're spreading out our efforts starting Sunday into the week," Walker said.
The sandbag distribution sites will remain open through at least Monday, he said, depending on Tropical Storm Ian's forecast track.
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During a record-breaking Sept. 14 deluge, NWS meteorologists reported Merritt Island rainfall amounts at least as high as 8.47 inches in Riverwalk and 7.54 inches in Holiday Cove, along with 6.96 inches in Sharpes.
Then on Sept. 17, 5.07 inches of rain fell in Indian Harbour Beach. The NWS office on Croton Road near Melbourne Orlando International Airport recorded 3.48 inches of rain — triggering waist-deep flooding at some Eau Gallie businesses.
All told, Schaper said the area extending roughly from Lake Poinsett to Cape Canaveral received "north of 10 inches" of rain the past 14 days.
"As we continue to track #Ian, we want to remind residents that this is not the time for trimming trees. If you have yard waste or trimmings that are waiting to be collected, please keep them away from storm drains and ditches," Brevard County Emergency Management officials said in a Saturday Facebook post.
"If debris is washed into storm drains by heavy rain, this can cause flooding," the post said.
'If we get any more rain, this whole place is going to be underwater'
Saturday morning, orange diamond-shaped "Water On Road" signs warned West Crisafulli Road motorists of a still-flooded stretch of roadway on north Merritt Island. A flock of about 40 brown-feathered ducks loitered nearby.
"It's terrible. My whole yard looks like a lake. I've got two pumps going, and it's not really doing much," said Cory Schiedel, a Good Vibes Sportfishing charter captain who lives near the flooded roadway.
"If we get any more rain, this whole place is going to be underwater," Schiedel said.
As of Saturday afternoon, Brevard County’s NWS forecast called for a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms Sunday. Those odds increase to 60% Monday and 80% Tuesday, with tropical storm conditions possible on Tuesday night.
“There's going to be some heavy rainfall associated — and it'll come in waves, like we typically see with tropical systems. Those different bands that set up can produce locally higher amounts of rainfall," Schaper said.
By 11 a.m., the line of vehicles awaiting sandbags at Mitchell Ellington Park extended eastward on Hall Road all the way to the Circle K gas station at North Courtenay Parkway, where stagnant rainwater rippled in the breeze in a grassy swale.
Merritt Island retiree Ray Lockwood, who worked as a Kennedy Space Center engineer, drove to get sandbags ahead of Tropical Storm Ian's potential arrival.
"We're right on a canal, and the seawall is starting to go out. So that's why I want to reinforce the seawall," Lockwood said.
The truck ahead of Lockwood's car was driven by Cocoa Beach resident Kieran Walker, a snowbird from Syracuse, New York, who just moved into a condominium.
"This is our first season down here as full-time Floridians. We're already getting quite a bit of buildup in our common area that is filling up with a lot of rain," Walker said.
"I expect that, if we get the rain that they're projecting, that is definitely going to flood and probably reach our back door," he said.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Hurricane Ian threatens Space Coast with more flooding
