Flood rescues continue in Brevard County as rising waters force evacuations

Fox - 35 Orlando
8 followers
Nov 3, 2026
So much rain has fallen in Brevard
that tonight some families are still being rescued from
their flooded out homes.
Some people have been using airboats
to help save their neighbors and Chris Lindsay's
live in Palm Bay where those rescues are happening still
at this hour it sounds like Chris are
the conditions still dangerous?
Yes well I'm here on Falun Boulevard where
a few hours ago this happened.
There's effectively a river in the middle of the road.
Neighbors say it started when the driveway of that home collapsed.
They say it didn't take long for part of the road to do the same.
There were a handful of people who are stranded,
unable to get to the other side,
until a man named Forrest Graddick stepped in to help.
Forrest says his airboat was already out
and ready to go for the gator season,
but when the weather took over Palm Bay, he found a new purpose for it.
All over the city, there are vehicles and homes underwater.
He spent his time taking people to see their loved ones
or back to their home safely.
An amazing feat for most people, but for him, he says it's normal.
This is Florida, man.
It's just another day in the life. That's all it is.
I mean, we may not have whitewater rapids,
but we've got whatever you'd like to call that behind me.
Anytime you can help someone, you should. That's the way I was raised.
He says he'll keep tracking social media to find more people to help.
With that said, city leaders urge you
to stay off the roads if at all possible,
and if for whatever reason you do have to drive,
to avoid roads with water on them.
Reporting live in Palm Bay, Chris Lindsey, Fox 35 News.
Chris, thank you. We have seen people carried out
of their homes tonight.
You see that there on the right, and we've seen
the flooding inside people's homes as the water was rising.
Even helicopters at moments pulling people out of the floodwaters all
All day today, and we are hearing incredible stories of survival
and heroism out of Brevard County.
Let's get out to Bailey Bockover.
She is joining us live now with more of those daring rescues.
And, Bailey, they are still helping people at this late hour.
They are.
The Red Cross actually has a shelter open.
It's here behind me at the Parker Memorial
Missionary Baptist Church in Cocoa.
Dozens have had to be rescued already today in Brevard County,
and we're now hearing some of those heroic rescues
as the floodwaters were rising.
Floodwaters strand an elderly man living alone recovering
from open heart surgery.
The FWC and neighbor Rick Adente, a trained rescue diver,
waded through chest deep rapids to reach him.
When the guys came to help with the airboats,
it was like out of a surreal, it was out of a movie.
They're so loud, they're blazing.
And it's like, wow.
And they're jamming, they're rocking and rolling.
Across the county, responders hoisted babies through windows,
rescuing families from the floodwaters.
It was shocking and then, of course, concerned
because all those people that lived there were elderly, were sick,
needed a lot of help.
And so then you just, you know, you do what we're here to do
and you help people and, you know, you take care of each other.
State wildlife officers launched airboats,
shallow water boats, and choppers.
pulled one man clinging to a palm tree out of Crane Creek.
The roads also still treacherous.
One woman had to escape through her own car trunk just to stay dry.
This was scarier. You can't see
a foot in front of your face.
You don't feel like you have any control. Katie Carney watched as her
backyard disappeared under five feet of water.
We had the two hurricanes and nothing. It receded
pretty quick when those came through. Nothing like this.
Tonight, with power out and roads washed out,
supplies are coming in by foot and bicycle.
If you do need to utilize this shelter tonight, officials
are asking that you just bring all your essential items with you.
Live in Brevard County, Bailey Bockover, Fox 35 News.
Bailey, thank you.
And take a look at this video from West Melbourne
of people being rescued there.
This man's house covered in water.
The place damaged.
This viewer had to stack things on top of each other just
so those items would not get damaged by all the water.
And the road's so flooded in the area that some people ditched
their cars and walked through the water just to get home.
It was not nearly as bad as it is now, obviously,
but I had no idea it was going to get as bad as it did.
Roads impassable right now, and some are asking how they're going
to get to places they need to go tomorrow.
And because of all the flooding,
the schools are now closed tomorrow in Brevard County.
And with Election Day just hours away now,
Brevard County scrambling to make sure everyone can cast their ballot.
Manny Martinez live in Melbourne now.
And Manny, this is important for voters to know,
some polling locations are going to change.
Jack, five of them, as of now,
the Brevard County Supervisor of Elections, Tim Bobanek,
says they had to make the change in the name of everyone's safety,
and there could still be more changes as conditions worsen.
Listen, so...
Take a close look at this list,
because if your polling place is on this list of five,
you will be voting elsewhere tomorrow.
That's Max K. Rhodes Community Center, Veterans Memorial Complex,
Eddie Lee Taylor Community Center, and Front Street Civic Center.
These are all in Melbourne,
plus Faith Baptist Church of Palm Bay in Palm Bay.
Precincts 307, 309, 512,
and 525 will now vote at the new Shiloh Christian Center on Sarno.
That's here where we are in Melbourne.
Precincts 306, 323,
and 529 will now go to the Joseph N. Davis Community Center.
That's on Bug Street, also Melbourne.
Precinct 517 will go to the Palm Bay City Hall.
on Malabar Road and vote inside council chambers.
The hours, they are not changing, they are still 7 until 7.
Also not changing is if these new polling locations,
if you will, were your original
polling locations, you'll still go there
and perhaps for tomorrow you may want to allot
yourself some more time,
given that now multiple precincts will be using each of these polling
locations.
We're live in Melbourne, Manny Martinez, Fox 35 News.
