There are closed roads and flooded homes in the City of Gulf Breeze which was hit hard by the storm. City Manager Buz Eddy said the amount of rain, 17 inches in 24 hours is something he's never seen before in the city. And that comes "on the heels of 40 inches of rain since January first. So the water table is very, very high."
Officials in the city are still trying to access the situation and find people who need help. All Gulf Breeze police and fire officers have been called into work, helping with traffic control and taking care of any emergencies. Some elderly and disabled residents needed help leaving their homes. Some were taken to the Recreation Center on Shoreline drive, where the city is giving people a place to go to dry off and get a meal. There is no official shelter set up in Gulf Breeze proper, though Eddy says he is hoping for some help from the county in setting one up.
The lower areas of Gulf Breeze are the most affected, with many side roads running between Fairpoint and Shoreline under water. There could also be a problem with the city's sewage system, which Eddy says in totally inundated and will need some time before it's working properly again.
And the one thing I heard from every official I spoke to at the police station, fire station and city hall is this: stay off the roads. And if you need to go someplace, just go, don't stop to sight see and take pictures of the flooding.
