MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – Brevard County says its drainage system is moving 85,000 gallons of water every minute after 7 or 8 inches of rain flooded neighborhoods Wednesday.
Public works said that amount of rain is close to what the county saw during hurricanes in the past.
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“It got up to most peoples’ garages,” Mindy Gordon of the Diana Shores neighborhood said.
Gordon said her husband took a picture during the worst of the flooding.
The water receded Thursday.
“From the start of the street to probably about 3/4 of the way down, it was completely submerged to about our knees,” Gordon said.
The Gordons said they reported the flooding to the county and showed us an email they received reading a supervisor would investigate and respond within 72 hours.
The county said it received a total of 34 calls including flooded hallways at Merritt Island High School.
The school district said it was cleaned up by Thursday morning and there was no damage.
Public works said because it spent years cleaning ditches and stormwater systems, there were no significant issues and pumps were running, moving water to the Indian River Lagoon.
Neighbors are now hoping the system won’t be overwhelmed during the next storm.
‘’We can’t afford any more rain right now and it’s supposed to get worse,” Gordon said.
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