A flood warning is in effect for areas near the St. Johns River in Seminole, Volusia and Brevard counties. The areas are preparing as the river is forecast to rise to a moderate-to-major flood stage through the weekend according to the National Weather Service.
Heavy rains beginning Sunday brought upwards of 22 inches of water and flooding to areas of Brevard. While the water is starting to recede in most areas, it could move into the Peace and St Johns River.
Brevard county is looking at opening additional shelters and suggesting evacuations for at-risk areas.
“Now we're dealing with the anomaly of this water flowing north and then causing some secondary flooding in some areas that either have already had flooding or escaped the first round,” said Brevard County Emergency Management's Don Walker.
A shelter is open at South Mainland Community Center, 3700 Allen Ave, Micco, FL 32976. The American Red Cross shelter is also open, at the Wickham Park Senior Center, 2785 Leisure Way, Melbourne, FL 32935
“We are going to be getting word out to residents along some areas west of I-95 that there is a potential for some flooding, even possibly some severe flooding in their areas going into the weekend,” he said. “While the water is rising, we don't expect the receding of that water for several days. So, once the water gets to its peak, which we estimate is going to be around 17 feet, it could be there for a couple days.”
Boil water notices remain in place for areas of Brevard County, including the city of Melbourne.
Neighboring Volusia County said it's taking precautionary steps by encouraging residents to get supplies and distributing sandbags.
Clayton Jackson, Volusia County’s Public Information Officer said, “While we anticipate the river will continue rising over the next several days, it's still too early to determine exactly how individual properties and roadways may be affected.”
He said the county will continue to monitor the conditions with the National Weather service and partners.
Seminole County has placed a no wake zone as the county watches water levels. Closed launches and parks include Mullet Lake Park, Cameron Wight Park and the Econ Canoe Launch.
The county is still under a local state of emergency and said it is watching areas that are flood prone and places around the Little Wekiva River and the St. Johns River system.
Sandbag distribution sites are open at the Old Geneva Volunteer Fire Station, 217 2nd Street, Geneva and the overflow lot at Boombah Sports Complex 3325 Cameron Avenue, Sanford. They are self-serve and open 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
