King tides, rough surf, and heavy rainfall buffeted coastal Volusia County Friday morning, Oct. 10, and into Saturday, causing flooding in vulnerable areas, particularly in Edgewater.
The National Weather Service in Melbourne received reports of floodwater entering buildings in the city, meteorologist Robert Haley said.
In Southeast Volusia, where flooding has become a common recurrence, water got high in Port Orange and New Smyrna Beach, as well.
Edgewater and New Smyrna Beach received 4-6 inches of rain from about midnight to noon on Friday, Oct. 10, according to Haley. The total was approaching 6-8 inches for about 24 hours.
Mandi Bullard, a resident on the north side of Edgewater’s Florida Shores neighborhood, said that while homes in her neighborhood didn’t have water intrusion Friday morning, water on the road was starting to rise and was gradually “getting worse” as the heavy rain continued.
“People are passing by now pushing big wakes up,” Bullard said in a phone interview.
Around 10:15 a.m., the Edgewater Police Department called on Florida Shores residents to avoid the roads, as “roadways are flooded and becoming impassable,” a Friday morning post on the agency’s Facebook page said.
Bullard said she had heard flooding was also happening near Volco Road and on Pine Tree Drive between 26th and 30th streets.
In a Friday morning update on Facebook, the city said, “Crews from the Stormwater Division are actively monitoring stormwater systems and ensuring they are flowing without obstruction.”
Bullard said some in her neighborhood were worried about water coming into their homes.
“I know a bunch of my neighbors are trying to get sandbags now, and they weren’t really prepared because this isn’t a hurricane, it’s just rain,” she said. “It does look like there is a lot of (standing) water.”
In Port Orange, there were “no reports of water entering any homes” as of around 11:30 a.m. Friday, according to city spokesman Mike Springer.
“However, due to recent rainfall and elevated tides, water may pond on low-lying roadways, particularly in areas near waterways,” he added. “Residents are strongly advised not to drive through any streets where water is present.”
In the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood, where residents have struggled with the flooding issue this year, water hasn’t intruded into any homes, but resident Kandi Hall knows more rain ahead could make the situation worse.
“We’re going to see what the next few days hold,” Hall said.
She said she is concerned about the incoming extra inches of rain and is thinking about selling her home.
“I just can’t take the stress of living here,” she said.
In New Smyrna Beach, Public Works crews “reassigned all hands to monitor and keep flooding in check on the beachside” on Friday, according to city spokesman Phil Veski.
“Flagler Avenue was temporarily shut down for about 20 minutes (Friday) morning to discourage motorists from sending floodwater wakes over sidewalks into shops,” Veski said in an email. “Crews are currently employing mobile stormwater pumps one block south on Jessamine Avenue. South Atlantic Avenue was momentarily down to one lane due to flooding, but has since returned to normal four-lane operations.”
Most of Daytona Beach gets a break for a change
Daytona Beach, which has been hit hard by flooding in the past, didn’t see many problems on Friday. But the intersection of Beach Street and Fairview Avenue, which sits low and has been flood-prone for many decades, was a trouble spot.
The intersection, which is beside the Halifax River, was closed on Friday.
That intersection closure and flooding in the road left Mike Corkle sitting alone inside The Fishin’ Hole, a longtime saltwater fishing business at 450 N. Beach St.
“It pretty much destroys our business when they have the roads blocked off,” said Corkle, a repairman at The Fishin’ Hole.
Oft-flooded Midtown largely spared
Cynthia Slater has lived on Kottle Circle in Midtown for 30 years, and her home has been flooded repeatedly. On Friday, though, the water was staying out of her house. She said there were just some small puddles, but no flooding in the street.
“So far it’s good,” Slater said late Friday morning. “The water is not piling up. I keep watching.”
She said she drove around the neighborhood, and the retention ponds appeared to have more capacity. She also didn’t see any standing water in the streets.
Because Kottle Circle and nearby side streets have flooded so severely so many times, the county government has offered to buy some homes there and tear them down. Slater is taking them up on the offer, but the transaction probably won’t be completed until the end of the year.
“I can’t take another flood,” Slater said. “Quite a few (homeowners) will do it.”
Coastal flood warning in effect in Volusia until 4 a.m. Sunday
Volusia County has been dealing with extra high tides, called king tides, and heavy rainfall. Conditions in the county are causing flooding in low-lying areas along the Intracoastal Waterway and pushing waves higher up on the beach, Haley said. Waves have been pushing to the dune line on the beach and reaching some beach entrances.
A coastal flood warning is in effect for Volusia County until 4 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 12. A coastal flood advisory will be in effect from 4 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 12, to 4 a.m. Monday, Oct. 13. A high surf advisory is in effect until 4 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 12, and a high rip current risk is in effect until late Sunday, Oct. 12.
“Coastal roads may be closed,” the National Weather Service warns. “Low-lying property, including homes, businesses and some critical infrastructure, will be inundated. Significant shoreline erosion will occur. Dangerous swimming and surfing conditions and localized beach erosion.”
Rain chances dropped Saturday, but the coastal flooding threat was expected to linger through Sunday because king tides are still present, Haley said.
Haley warned that people should never drive through floodwaters. Also, beach conditions are dangerous right now.
“Basically, entering the water is not recommended. It’s life-threatening surf,” he said.
Flagler County worried about flooding, erosion
Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said in an interview that there was concern about flooding and erosion in some areas.
“Anytime we have storms off our coastline, there is always a chance, whether it’s a tropical system or not, that there is some beach erosion. We’ve had a week of systems off our coastline that beat up our beach a little bit, obviously.”
Lord said an Easterly wind combined with king tides.
“You add those two things together, we do have elevated water levels in the Atlantic as well as the Intracoastal Waterway, as well as on the western side of the county, areas that are impacted by the St. John’s River,” Lord said.
Lord said there are some areas in Flagler Beach, older homes near the Intracoastal, that often flood during cycles of high tides. He said they should be aware that some flooding is expected.
He said some homes in Palm Coast that line the saltwater canals have had water over the seawalls, but no water inside homes, he said.
Lord said the county had received as of 8 a.m. Oct. 10 about an inch of rain since the previous day. On Oct. 11, the forecast called for 2 to 3 inches along the coast and half an inch to an inch in some areas inland.
“That’s the forecast; it could be less. It really depends on how quickly that system moves away from the coastline,” Lord said.
He said some gusts along the coast in Marineland, where the county has a wind gauge, have been measured at over 40 mph.
There could also be some flooding along Crescent Lake and Dead Lake on the west side of the county.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High tides and heavy rain causes flooding in Edgewater and other parts of Volusia County
Reporting by Sheldon Gardner, Brenno Carillo, Frank Fernandez and Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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