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Port Orange dam breaches; voluntary evacuations underway

Precautionary evacuations issued for residents in low-lying areas in Cambridge Canal area

PORT ORANGE, Fla. – A dam in Port Orange’s Cambridge Canal drainage system breached Thursday morning, causing water to flow into nearby residential streets and prompting officials to issue precautionary evacuation orders.

News 6 crews at the scene of the dam breach found part of the broken wall peeking out from above the floodwaters. Dive crews and engineers arrived at the dam to assess damages and determine how to make repairs.

Port Orange officials said the tide at Rose Bay caused water to push into surrounding area. News 6′s Catherine Silver reported that Merrimac Drive near Spruce Creek Road and Trailwood Drive were flooded.

[TRENDING: Beachside Wilbur-by-the-Sea home teeters on edge as Nicole devours Florida shore | Nicole becomes 3rd hurricane ever to hit Florida in November | Become a News 6 Insider]

Barricades were set up on the road due to the dam breach.

The mayor said the Cambridge Canal system is a major drainage system that flows into Rose Bay. The dam keeps water in Rose Bay from rushing back into the drainage system. Part of that dam has been breached and the water is now flowing into the streets.

Officials said precautionary evacuations are being issued for residents in low-lying areas in the Cambridge Canal area.

The mayor said a few hundred homes in the area are now at risk of flooding again. Voluntary evacuations are underway on Thursday morning.

Tropical Storm Nicole caused the Halifax River to jump its banks and cause flooding in low-lying areas of Port Orange overnight.

The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane before weakening back to a tropical storm Thursday morning.


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About the Author
Brenda Argueta headshot

Brenda Argueta is a digital journalist who joined ClickOrlando.com in March 2021. She is the author of the Central Florida Happenings newsletter that goes out every Thursday.

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