Public Asked to Report Flooding on Brevard County Website

Brevard County residents who experienced street, yard, or structural flooding during this weekend’s storm are asked to complete a short on-line survey at www.brevstorm.org.

The purpose of the six-question survey is to document the location and extent of flooding and the costs incurred as a result. This information will help the county to identify needs, prioritize future drainage improvement areas and develop grant funding requests.

“One of the best sources for that information is eyewitness accounts,” said Watershed Program Manager Virginia Barker. “If we can document repetitive flooding problems, it increases the likelihood of receiving grant funds to help resolve these issues.”

Pictures of flooding can be uploaded with the survey to document the drainage needs to funding agencies.

While widespread street and yard flooding has been seen across the county and in the media, specific information about water levels and address locations is needed.

As they have throughout the weekend, Public Works crews are continuing to repair washouts, clear blocked drainage systems and operate pumps to keep the stormwater flowing and out of structures. Pumps are still in operation at Hall Road in north Merritt Island, Cox Road in west Cocoa, and the Deer Run subdivision near Micco.

“So far, the only reports of residential flooding are a few of houses on Victor Drive off of Range Road in west Cocoa, and that’s due to the topography of those lots, not maintenance of the County’s drainage system,” said Public Works Director John Denninghoff. Commercial facilities along Cox Road also suffered interior flooding, but drainage improvements for that area are scheduled for construction in 2012, pending permit approval from the Florida Department of Transportation.

Although this weekend’s storm was unnamed, it dumped more rainfall on the county than Hurricane Wilma did in 2005. Fortunately, the St. Johns River, where much of west Cocoa drains to, was not at a high level during the rain event. This allowed western portions of the County to drain quickly to the river. However, the river is now rising due to heavy rainfall upstream, so residents who live in areas that flood when the St Johns River crests should be vigilant for the next few weeks.