Dozens of photos and videos shared online show the extent of flooding across parts of Brevard County.
John Scott, director of the Brevard County Emergency Management Office, said residents farther north like Mims and Titusville are seeing 5 to 8 inches of rain. Further South, he said it’s 15 to 20 inches of rain.
He described the rain amounts in south Brevard as “borderline historic.”
Cars are nearly submerged, some areas are seeing waist-deep flooding, and schools have been forced to close. And in true Florida fashion, some residents are using kayaks and paddle boards to get around, or even joking about pulling their airboat off their trailer.
Meanwhile, Brevard County is preparing for Election Day on Tuesday as flooding continues.
In a press release, the Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Office said its Viera office will remain open to serve voters. The other three administrative offices in Titusville, Melbourne and Palm Bay will remain closed to the public until further notice.
Officials anticipate polling locations will be open for Election Day, but are continuing to assess conditions as flooding in some areas continues.
Residents react as police warn
The flooding has extended beyond roads and neighborhoods, spilling into Facebook comment sections as residents discuss how conditions could affect Tuesday's election.
Brevard County resident Veronica Guzman posted about the importance of early voting, writing, “THESE kinds of circumstances are out of our control and why early voting is so important!!”
Esther Lyle Byrd also took to Facebook to remind voters to be flexible.
“Brevard Voters: Plan on being flexible tomorrow,” she wrote. “If precincts are flooded or inaccessible, the Supervisor of Elections office will adjust to ensure they can accommodate all voters at other precincts.”
She also urged voters to check whether their area is safe before heading out to vote.
Melbourne Police Commander Shawn Eising, who is currently stuck at home because of the flooding, said he can see water reaching the side mirrors of his neighbor's Ford Mustang.
He said firefighters are also responding to about 25 calls from the flooding, on top of their regular duties.
“This is not the typical afternoon thunderstorm where the rain floods a few streets and you know an hour or so later it's gone,” Eising said. “This is probably going to take, you know, days for it to recede and become safe in some areas.”
That could mean lingering impacts into Election Day. While Eising expects conditions to improve, he said there are still concerns about road safety.
“Right now, there's a lot of concerns,” he said. “There's a lot of safety issues, there's a lot of potential danger for people, and they just have to remain cognizant of that.”
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said in an update on social media that although the Supervisor of Elections Office is still assessing what damage they have, people will still be able to vote.
“No matter what, everybody will get an opportunity to vote tomorrow,” Ivey said. “If they have to move a precinct, they'll project it out. We'll help get that information out. We want everybody to get out and vote and have their part of democracy.”
Both Eising and Ivey are urging residents to stay indoors and avoid flooded areas for now.
“No matter what, everybody will get an opportunity to vote tomorrow. If they have to move a precinct, they'll project it out. We'll help get that information out. We want everybody to get out and vote and have their part of democracy.”- Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey
Even after the water recedes, residents should watch for structural damage, including potholes and sinkholes, he said.
And just because a road looks safe to drive on doesn't mean it is.
“Sometimes it'll be stagnant one minute, and then all of a sudden a canal will cave in or something happens, and that water rushes somewhere,” Eising said. “If you're caught in that, it can become very dangerous for you, so we definitely discourage people from going out and playing in it as well.”
Flooding can also create problems with septic systems, which treat household wastewater underground. When floodwaters prevent wastewater from draining properly, it can back up into homes.
“If the water can't flow out, they'll sometimes flow back,” Eising said. “So there's a lot of concern there that the house could ultimately flood because of the septic system as well.”
The Supervisor of Elections Office is encouraging voters to monitor its website and social media accounts for updates about polling locations.
On Monday afternoon, Central Florida Public Media reached out to Brevard Public Schools to ask whether schools will reopen Tuesday but has not yet received a response.
For voters who do head to the polls, Eising said to use caution, particularly around flooded roads.
“The city, the county, all of the engineering departments, the police departments, the fire departments will all be working together to make sure that once things are deemed back to safe, we'll be able to open everything up and travel as freely as we have before,” he said.
