VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Volusia County emergency officials on Tuesday closed three roads in the northeastern part of the county due to elevated water levels.
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Steve Boeder visits Ormond Beach often and rides his bike through the Ormond Loop and surrounding areas and remembers what the roads look like when it pours.
“This whole area was underwater. We had to turn around and go back. We had people with trailers and motor homes sitting here waiting for the water to go down,” said Boeder.
County crews already closed three roads in Northeast Volusia because of the water on the roads, thanks to extreme tidal conditions in the Tomoka and Halifax River Basins.
Volusia County government said in a news release Tuesday that the following roads are closed: Highbridge Road from John Anderson Drive to Walter Boardman Lane, North Beach Street from Inglesa Avenue to Pine Tree Drive and Walter Boardman Lane from Highbridge Road to Old Dixie Highway.
Highbridge Road from John Anderson Drive to Walter Boardman Lane and Walter Boardman Lane from Highbridge Road to Old Dixie Highway reopened Thursday afternoon.
Ormond Beach saw flooded streets on Monday due to rainy weather that prompted crews to close roads along Pine Tree Drive and Old Dixie Highway.
Now, all eyes are on Tropical Storm Eta, as it’s a watch and wait game for Volusia County.
“The potential conditions that we can expect for Volusia County, right now, about one to two inches throughout the county. We may get four to five in the very northwest part of the county along Lake George, Seville and the Pierson area,” said Jim Judge, EOC Director.
Jim Judge, EOC Director said residents could expect 25 to 30 mile per hour sustained winds in the northwest part of the county, while the rest can see 15 to 20 mile per hour winds.
“We anticipate those conditions start to deteriorate tomorrow morning around sunrise. But then there’s only a period of about six hours that we anticipate those conditions to last,” he said.
Judge said he and his staff at the EOC will be monitoring the conditions starting Thursday at 4 a.m. but said there are no protective actions, plans or evacuations at this time.
In DeLand, City Spokesman Chris Graham said they are making sure the pond levels are at an adequate level and are checking drains. They are also urging residents to bring items inside, hoping the storm will not bring on the possibility of another tornado. Graham also said they’re monitoring the streets, especially in the downtown area.
“Our downtown area can be prone to flooding and hopefully this is going to be a quick event. It seems like it’s going to go right through. Really, we just want people to be aware of what’s going on around them and just be prepared. If they want to, they can sign up for Alert DeLand. If there are any tornados tonight or tomorrow, they’ll be alerted to that,” said Graham.
It’s unclear when the roads will reopen. Officials are monitoring the water for when it is low enough to drive on the roads.
Tropical Storm Eta has been dumping rain across Florida for the past several days, causing coastal flooding and more is on the way.