Palm Bay flood help: what is open today, and the federal aid that isn’t

As of Friday morning, Nov. 6. Check the city, county and United Way for updates.

Palm Bay is holding two flood recovery information sessions today for residents and business owners hit by this week’s historic rainfall. They come as some neighborhoods are still cut off, cleanup help is being organized across the county, and federal disaster aid has not been declared.

Palm Bay’s sessions today

• 9 to 11 a.m.: Palm Bay City Hall, 120 Malabar Road

• 1 to 3 p.m.: Tony Rosa Community Center, 1502 Port Malabar Blvd. NE

The sessions are a chance to ask questions, get guidance and learn about recovery resources, and residents and business owners may attend either one, the city said, according to Space Coast Daily and Florida Today. The city also canceled its Nov. 7 Veterans Day parade because of flood damage, Florida Today reported.

The Nov. 1–2 rain dumped more than 20 inches on Palm Bay, left two people dead and damaged roads around the city, including the collapse of Port Malabar Boulevard, Florida Today reported. Many people who lost homes near Turkey Creek do not have flood insurance.

Palm Bay Estates: cut off since Monday

In Palm Bay Estates, a 55-and-older community, Monday’s flooding washed out part of Indian River Drive Northeast, leaving an estimated 80 to 100 people without normal vehicle access to their homes, News 6 reported Thursday. Residents have been walking a makeshift path beside the damaged road, sometimes carrying bicycles across, while crews dump dirt into the washout.

World Central Kitchen delivered meals Thursday, with firefighters and other first responders helping get supplies across. “I’m down to two cans and tuna fish,” resident Barbara Ballou told News 6. She said her home still had power and water, and that neighbors need a way out for doctor’s appointments and groceries: “If we could just even have a temporary bridge to get us in and out. That would be wonderful.” No timeline for restoring vehicle access has been confirmed.

A washout happened at the same spot earlier this year after a stormwater pipe failed, and the city helped pay for repairs, Spectrum News 13 reported. This week’s floodwaters also took out the foundation of a mobile home next to the washout, which then caught fire and burned down.

Cleanup and supplies countywide

Brevard County’s Brevard Volunteer Connection Portal connects residents with free volunteer help removing mud and debris, damaged furniture and flooring, and wet drywall, according to United Way Space Coast. Submit one request per household with photos of the damage. Help depends on volunteer availability and is not guaranteed. The request form is at forms.juvare.com/forms/93e32c51-c1d4-4920-9642-f60248d6efba, linked from United Way’s hub at uwspacecoast.org/disaster-response.

A separate county form lets residents report flood damage to help Emergency Management assess community impacts; United Way notes it “is not an application for assistance.”

• Need help now: call 2-1-1 or 321-632-6688 for shelters, food, cleanup help and more.

• Volunteer for cleanup: register through United Way to be paired with Team Rubicon (321-637-3818). Volunteers can’t bring their own tools; long pants and sturdy work shoes are required.

• Donate supplies during business hours at United Way Space Coast, 1100 Rockledge Blvd., Suite 300, Rockledge (321-631-2740), or Community of Hope, 1975 Palm Bay Rd. NE, Suite 106, Palm Bay (321-474-0966). Most needed: shovels and brooms, work gloves, buckets, bleach, mold-treatment cleaners, garbage bags and bins, fans and dehumidifiers.

• Longer-term help: the Brevard Long Term Recovery Coalition “will soon announce a process to request direct assistance,” United Way says.

State emergency, no federal declaration yet

Brevard is under the state of emergency Gov. Ron DeSantis declared Nov. 2 and expanded Nov. 4 to 14 counties. That is a state action, not a federal disaster declaration. A query of FEMA’s public disaster-declaration data Friday morning found no Florida declarations dated Nov. 1 or later; the most recent Florida entries are for Hurricane Isaias, declared Oct. 27. Federal FEMA individual assistance requires a federal declaration.

Based on city announcements as reported, United Way Space Coast, FEMA data and published reports. 321 Daily did not seek comment for this story.