DEBARY -- Flooding caused by Fay has forced the closure of State Road 46 between Seminole and Brevard counties.
Water is covering the road near Lake Harney, and forced the Florida Highway Patrol to close the road from Jungle Road in Seminole County to Hatbill Road in Brevard.
Access will be granted to residents as long as troopers feel the road is passable.
Drivers should take State Road 44 or State Road 50 as an alternate east-west route.
On Tuesday afternoon, the water was as deep as 4 inches in the eastbound lanes of S.R. 46, where the road crosses the St. Johns River. To see when the river is expected to crest, click on the image to the left.
The river isn't expected to crest until sometime on Wednesday, so the road could be closed for several days.
"We know it is just a matter of time. We've been out here since the morning and actually watched the water rise up. It is just a matter of time before it comes across the complete road," said Sgt. Kim Miller, of the Florida Highway Patrol.
Meanwhile, nearly 450 homes along the St. John River have already become casualties of Tropical Storm Fay.
People in low lying areas are being asked to take precautions and sandbag their homes
Current Conditions On St. Johns River
- Day: Thursday 8/28, Morning
- Geneva Above Lake Harney: 11.06 feet, Flood stage is 8.5 feet
- Sanford: 7.16 feet, Flood stage is 6 feet
- DeLand: 4.97 feet, Flood stage is 4.2 feet
- Astor: 3.5 feet, Flood stage is 2.8 feet
Where Is The Water Coming From?
Residents are wondering where all the flooding is coming from so long after Tropical Storm Fay left Central Florida.
It all started when Fay dumped a record rainfall in Indian River and Brevard counties. Whatever rain lands in Palm Bay or Melbourne eventually must make its way up narrow rivers and small lakes before it flows into the northeast corner of the state.
"An historic amount of rain -- just a huge amount," said Hank Largin, of St. Johns River Water Management.
Unfortunately, say experts like Largin, no water system is built to handle 25 to 30 inches of rain so quickly.
The recovery is a natural process. The water makes its way north to Jacksonville, rising in places like Sanford and Deland as it goes.
Unlike parts of South Florida, Central Florida does not use a levee system to move water through rivers and lakes.
"We don't have flood control systems. It's very natural and we think that's what most of the public prefers. They like that," Largin said.
Largin said the path Fay took was unpredictable, and its remnants will rise and fall in their own time.
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