State of Emergency Declared After Flooding, Two Deaths on Florida’s East Coast

Florida’s governor declared a state of emergency for seven counties after three days of extreme rainfall caused flooding in Brevard, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties.

The “1-in-1,000-year” event, as it was described by the National Weather Service, produced almost 24 inches of rain at Malabar in a 24-hour period; almost 20 inches at Palm Bay; and 13 inches in and around Melbourne, on Florida’s east coast, the Florida Today news site reported.

Two deaths were reported in the area, including one man who was later found in his truck, news outlets reported. Brevard County Sheriff’s deputies and state Fish and Wildlife conducted some 160 rescues, and vehicles could be seen floating down streets. Some residents reported as much as five feet of water inside homes in Palm Bay, Florida Today noted.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ emergency declaration helps pave the way for state and federal assistance for municipalities and residents affected by the floods.

The rainfall was the product of a slow-moving, low-pressure system over the eastern Gulf of Mexico, pushed by a high-pressure system off the East Coast, The Weather Channel reported.

The losses from the flooding are expected to be manageable for federal and private flood insurers, but it again highlights the low take-up rate of flood insurance in parts of the country, an AM Best analyst said. Although Florida has the highest take-up rates on private flood insurance, it lags some other states in National Flood Insurance Program policies. Just 16% of Florida households are covered by flood insurance, the rating firm said in a Nov. 4 bulletin.

“Not only do a significant number of homes in Florida remain uninsured against floods, many homes with insurance are also underinsured, since the NFIP is limited to $250,000 per residence and the median home value in Florida is approximately $400,000,” Christopher Graham, senior industry research analyst for AM Best, said in a statement.

Improvements in underwriting and pricing should make flood losses manageable, the firm noted.