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MELBOURNE, Fla.-Torrential rains from a slow-moving Tropical Storm Fay triggered a new round of flooding Thursday, submerging roads and forcing dozens of people to flee the rising water in their homes.With Fay hugging Florida's northeast Atlantic coast, repeatedly lashing the region with buckets of rain, police and National Guard troops were evacuating people from flood areas in the barrier island town of Merritt Island, where lakes were overflowing into houses, said Brevard County Sheriff's Sgt. Linda Moros. People were also being evacuated from a mobile home community in Melbourne."I want to stress that this storm is becoming a serious catastrophic flooding event," said Gov. Charlie Crist, who scheduled a visit to tour part of the flooded area later in the day.One man rescued by the National Guard from his mobile home, 57-year-old Mike White, said water was lapping at his front door and still rising."This is the worst I've absolutely ever seen it," White said.The water was also driving many alligators, snakes and other animals from their lairs. Emergency management spokeswoman Kimberly Prosser said Brevard County wildlife officers have received several calls about alligators and other animals spotted in flooded neighborhoods, but only two small alligators have been captured."In the past we've usually had flooding in pockets. I have not seen anything this widespread throughout the county," Prosser said.Although Fay virtually stalled overnight, forecasters expected it to continue a zigzag course and come ashore in Florida for a third time in a week. The storm was also likely to impact Georgia, but it was not predicted to reach hurricane strength.Hundreds of homes were flooded from St. Lucie to Brevard counties, some with up to 5 feet of water. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was reviewing Crist's request for a federal emergency disaster declaration to defray rising debris and response costs.About 10,200 homes and businesses in Brevard County were without power early Thursday, and about 134 people spent the night in shelters, she said. The county is home to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, which has been closed to most workers and all visitors since Tuesday. The center reported no significant damage.Fay could dump 30 inches of rain in some areas of Florida and the National Weather Service said nearly 25 inches had already fallen near Melbourne, just south of Cape Canaveral.In Jacksonville, residents were told to expect the brunt of the storm later Thursday. With schools, government offices and many businesses closed, streets were quiet and traffic was light at what would normally be the start of rush hour.John Place, at a local Wal-Mart, said he and his wife has been prepared for quite a while. "This is not a panic situation," he said. "If it was a Category 1, 2 or 3 (hurricane) making a direct hit on Jacksonville, you'd have something."Meanwhile, water was receding Thursday in some Florida towns hit hard by flooding earlier in the week.To read more go to:
By BRIAN SKOLOFF
As in the days of Noah....
