'Definitely scary': Brevard County residents worry about flooding, impacts from Hurricane Milton
SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. - Brevard County is bracing for impacts later this week from rapidly intensifying Hurricane Milton.
Some communities on the Space Coast may have to evacuate, and flooding is a growing threat for homeowners.
DeSoto Parkway in Satellite Beach flooded on Sunday, days before the hurricane even made landfall. Neighbors say, there was about a foot of water saturating the street around 11 a.m.
Rick Hitchcock was one driver who had navigate through high water in Satellite Beach. He says ,"this whole stretch for the next 3 blocks" was under "about a foot of water."
Hitchcock lives on DeSoto Parkway which he says is prone to flooding. The longtime resident is worried about flooding and tornados striking the Space Coast if Hurricane Milton moves east.
"It’s definitely scary. I mean, we could get Cat 1, Cat 2. I mean, depending on how powerful, if it goes fast enough, we could see Cat 3 here, so that’s definitely something to consider. I’ll probably board up tomorrow," he said.
FOX 35 saw some people in the neighborhood boarding up on Sunday. Others said, they’re waiting until Monday to decide.
"We do have some boards for her windows and I think, by tomorrow, we will make that call and board them up if we have to. We can’t take any chances," said Sue-Bee Laginess whose 93-year-old mother lives in Satellite Beach. She’s helping her mom prepare for the storm.
Officials say Brevard’s Barrier islands may have to evacuate, but as of Sunday night, no evacuation orders were issued.
"If it looks like it’s just going to be a 1 by the time it gets through here, we will probably stay because where can we go? The whole state’s going to be affected it looks like," concluded Laginess.
On Monday, sandbag locations will open up across the entire coast from Titusville to Palm Bay. Families can get 10 free sandbags and do not need to bring bags.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey says inmates will be on site helping to shovel sand and get it in people’s cars.
Sandbag sites will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7 at the following locations:
- Chain of Lakes Park, 2300 Truman Scarborough Way, Titusville, FL 32796.
- Mitch Ellington Park, 577 Hall Road, Merritt Island, FL, 32953. Enter from West Hall Road.
- Wickham Park, 2500 Parkway Dr., Melbourne, FL 32935. Enter using south access from Parkway Dr.
- Eastern Florida State College-Palm Bay Campus, 250 Community College Parkway SE Palm Bay, 32909