Brevard officials: Stay out of the water. Dangerous rip currents, large waves expected
As of early Aug. 20, Hurricane Erin was about 444 miles east of Daytona Beach. Its size and location is bringing dangerous rip currents and waves between 5 and 10 feet to the Space Coast.Brevard officials have warned residents to stay out of the water.
Temporary mobile traffic signs with the cautionary message have been placed along roadways and red flags are flying along the beaches alerting visitors to the “high hazardous condition.”
Ocean Rescue Chief Eisen Witcher said they saw impacts on the beaches that could form rip currents, and recommended staying out of the water until conditions improve.
Brevard officials are monitoring beach conditions, but are hopeful previous investments in Space Coast beaches have left them in a good state for the storm’s impact.
TItusville, Brevard at odds over $1.7 million in economic zone money
Titusville is disputing Brevard County's handling of the remaining money still left with the recently disbanded North Brevard Economic Zone.
The zone was established in 2011 as a way of helping the Titusville area weather the economic fallout following the end of the space shuttle program. Zone officials used property tax revenue from new commercial and industrial construction in North Brevard County to help provide economic incentives for projects within the zone.
In April, the County Commission voted to end the program.
According to Brevard County records, just over $1.7 million is in an interest-bearing account held by the county.
That money, paid into the former North Brevard Economic Development Zone, will continue to sit there collecting interest for the next several years.
Even though that money was generated by properties in Titusville, the county will collect the interest.
Fire Rescue officials: Woman, 2 animals die as blaze guts northwest Palm Bay home
The state fire marshal’s office is investigating a fire that killed one person, along with two pets, and gutted a northwest Palm Bay home on Tuesday, Aug. 19.
The unidentified woman was found in a burned-out bedroom in the wood frame structure. The fire began about 2 p.m. at the three-bedroom, single-story home on Furth Road, Palm Bay Fire Rescue officials reported.
Palm Bay firefighters arrived on the scene within minutes and began combating the fire, which spread along the back of the home. Minutes later, firefighters searched through the home and found the woman’s body in the soot- and ash-overed room where the blaze was concentrated. Firefighters also found the remains of a dog and a cat. Two other people who were in the home managed to get out.
NASA introduces project for the public's hurricane photos. How it could help during Erin
As Hurricane Erin swirls around Florida, NASA is asking the public to join a citizen scientist project to submit their hurricane-related photos to help improve emergency disaster response.
When weather-related disasters hit, emergency responders rely on tools like satellite images, weather radar and field reports to help them understand what is happening on the ground. But now, NASA is hoping people who are experiencing storms are willing to share their observations.
This summer and fall, NASA invites the public to participate in a new citizen science effort.
Those who live in the Southeast U.S. are invited to submit photos taken before and after hurricanes hit their area.
The project, called NASA Response Mappers, is a collaboration between the U.S. space agency's Disaster Response Coordination System and the science-focused GLOBE Program, partly sponsored by NASA.
Because it is only in its pilot phase, the project is due to last from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31 – spanning the most active months of hurricane season, which runs June 1 to Nov. 30 every year.