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Cars trapped in Brevard County flood waters
Dozens of drivers in Palm Bay ended up submerged in flood waters in their cars after nearly 20 inches of rain was dumped on the city in just 24 hours.
PALM BAY, Fla. - Some cars are still stuck in ditches and canals after parts of Brevard County were hammered with nearly 20 inches of rain on Thursday night.
There’s no telling when the cars will be moved or if they’ll even work.
"Don’t do it – go back. Go back that way. It’s worse. Go that way," said one woman who was trying to warn drivers not to come down her flooded neighborhood street.
On several streets in Southwest Palm Bay, small cars to large trucks were stuck in standing water.
"I’m not going to lie. I was a bit terrified," said Wanda Loubriel who got caught in flooding while she was driving home.
She says it was pitch black out, and she was struggling to see what was in front of her.
"I knew my car would float if I kept driving," she said.
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She couldn’t make it home safely because her road was flooded, so she slept at a gas station.
"I just parked there and stayed there and snoozed a little bit," Loubriel said.
Police officers and volunteers were out all night trying to rescue people who were trapped.
"Last night, it was crazy," said Alex Hendricks who used his jeep to save drivers in distress. "There was one car that had to get their windows busted out so they could get out of their vehicle."
Palm Bay Police say around 60 cars were trapped during the storm, and some were finally getting towed out on Friday.
"It’s sad. A lot of these cars, they’ll be getting insurance claims to get new cars," Hendricks concluded.
A lot of the people we met want to know what the city is doing to stop these streets from flooding in the first place. City officials tell FOX 35, the public works department is starting to replace the lining on drainage pipes. They’re also working with water management agencies to improve water flow in the city.