CHIEF METEOROLOGIST TOM SORRELLS. THIS IS NEWS 6 AT 5.30, GETTING RESULTS.
>> GINGER: OUR COVERAGE MOVES
NOW TO DAYTONA BEACH WHERE IT
IS HARD TO GET AROUND IN SOME
SPOTS BECAUSE OF ALL THE
FLOODING. THIS IS THE FIRST
I’VE HEARD IN MY EAR THAT I’M
TALKING TO THE REPORTER IN THE
BACK OF A TRUCK. JAMES
SPARVERO JOINS US NOW. HE’S IN
THE BACK OF A TRUCK AND I
THINK YOU GUYS ARE GETTING
READY FOR RESCUE HERE. JAMES,
WHAT’S GOING ON?
>> WELL, MATT WILL GET STARTED
WHERE WE ARE. THIS IS SOUTH
BEACH STREET IN DAYTONA BEACH.
IT WAS SOUTH OF INTERNATIONAL
SPEEDWAY WHEN A GENTLEMAN WHO
LIVES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS
KIND ENOUGH TO LET US TAKE A
RIDE. THIS IS A FULL-SIZE
TRUCK. AND IT’S IT’S HIGHER
THAN MOST FULL-SIZE TRUCKS
BECAUSE THE WATER ON THE ROAD
THAT PHOTOJOURNALIST PAUL
GIORGIO SHOWING YOU HAS TO BE
LIKE 3 FEET DEEP RIGHT NOW.
WE’RE SEEING SO MUCH WATER HIT
PEOPLE’S HOMES. IT’S HITTING
EVERYONE STORE AND EVERYONE’S
GARAGE STORY. WE DON’T SEE ANY
PROTECTIONS THAT ANY OF THESE
HOMES. I HAVEN’T SEEN ONE
HOUSE WITH SAND BAGS OR
ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT’S JUST
AWFUL FLOODING. PEOPLE ARE
TRYING TO WALK THROUGH IT
THERE ON RAFTS THERE ON KAYAKS
THERE ON AIRBOATS. THESE ARE
ALL STORIES WE’VE HEARD ALL
DAY. YOU MENTIONED THAT
RESCUE. SO OUR NEWS DESK AT
NEWS 6 GOT A TIP ABOUT A 97
YEAR-OLD WOMAN TRAPPED IN HER
HOME RIGHT HERE ON SOUTH BEACH
STREET. AND SHE WAS TRYING TO
GET OUT. IT’S BEEN A COUPLE OF
HOURS. WE WERE AT THE BEACH
THAN COVERING DESTRUCTION,
OCEANFRONT PROPERTIES AND
BEACH EROSION. WE CAME BACK
HERE TO THE MAINLAND. WE FIRST
TRIED TO GET INTO THIS
NEIGHBORHOOD IN OUR OWN NEWS
VEHICLES THAT ARE MUCH LOWER
THAN THIS. AND WE RAN INTO
NOTHING BUT BOGGED DOWN ROADS
JUST LIKE THIS. SO WE TRY
COMING IN FROM THE WEST FIRST.
NO LUCK. WE APPROACH FROM THE
NORTH. THAT’S WHERE WE WERE
WITH YOU AN HOUR AGO ON
CAROLINE STREET. THERE WAS
WATER AS FAR AS THE EYE COULD
SEE. WE HAD A STOP. WE TRIED
LOOKING FOR ANOTHER ENTRY WAY.
I SAID TO MYSELF AND PAUL, THE
ONLY WAY WE’RE GOING TO GET
THROUGH THE STREETS IS IF WE
GET A RIDE FROM SOMEBODY. SO
THANKFULLY THAT HAS HAPPENED
SO WE CAN SHOW YOU MORE OF
WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
INSTA STRUCTURED AND THE
FLOODING PERHAPS UNPRECEDENTED
FLOODING IN DAYTONA BEACH. I
DON’T KNOW. I’M USUALLY THE
BREVARD COUNTY REPORTER. I’VE
NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS
IN BREVARD COUNTY. I CAN THINK
5 YEARS AGO TO HURRICANE IRMA
IN SEEING A ROAD COVERED IN A
BIG PUDDLE, MAYBE IN COCOA.
BUT THIS IS TO A COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT DEGREE. SO WE
CONTINUE TO DRIVE RIGHT NOW.
THANKFULLY WE HAVE A RIGHT AND
WE ARE SAFE. AND I CAN TELL
YOU RIGHT NOW WE APPEAR WE ARE
GOING EAST ON SOUTH STREET.
AGAIN, WE’RE IN DAYTONA BEACH.
WE’RE PASSING RUSSELL DRIVE
RIGHT THERE. WOW. THIS RIDE
JUST GIVES US AN EXTENT. THE
FULL VIEW OF JUST HOW MANY
NEIGHBORHOODS ARE UNDER WATER
RIGHT NOW. WE COULD ONLY JUST
REALLY GAS AS FAR AS OUR
CAMERA LENS COULD SHOOT WHEN
WE WERE STATIONARY. BACK ON
CAROLINE, JUST SOUTH OF
INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY AND TO
THE WEST WAS NOVA ROAD. AGAIN.
WE TRY TO GET THROUGH HERE,
GOING DOWN OVER ROAD TO
BELLEVUE. THAT’S WHERE THE
DAYTONA BEACH PUBLIC WORKS.
DEPARTMENT IS, BUT THEY WERE
UNDER WATER AND IT DEFINITELY
WASN’T SAFE GOING ANY FURTHER.
SO WE TURNED AROUND. BUT WE
CAN STAY WITH YOU AS LONG AS
YOU WANT TO US. BECAUSE
>> IT JUST CONTINUES AND
CONTINUES INTO THESE
NEIGHBORHOODS. WE AREN’T
SEEING MANY PEOPLE ON THE ROAD
RIGHT NOW WALKING. I’M SAYING
YOU DON’T SEE MANY VEHICLES
PERIOD, BUT WHEN WE GOT
STARTED ON CAROLINE, I GUESS
PEOPLE TRYING TO GET OUT OF
THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO DRIER
LAND. THEY WERE WALKING OUT.
SOME OF THEM WERE CARRYING
THEIR BELONGINGS. WE SAW
PEOPLE IN RAFTS. THIS
GENTLEMAN HERE. HE’S IN THE
FIRST HOUSE ON THE STREET. SO
THANKFULLY HE WAS EASILY
APPROACHABLE WHEN I SAW IT,
THIS HIGH PICKUP PARKED ON THE
STREET. IT WASN’T TOO MUCH TO
ASK FOR HIM. THEN TO IT BACK
IT UP AND GIVE US A RIDE. MATT
AND GINGER. BUT AGAIN, WE’RE
CONTINUING TO GO EAST HAIR ON
SOUTH STREET, DAYTONA BEACH.
PERHAPS RECORD FLOODING. WE’RE
APPROACHING US ONE UP HERE. I
IMAGINE ONCE WE GET TO US ONE,
WE’LL START TO SEE. SOME DRIER
ROADS BECAUSE WE DID COME UP
US ONE EARLIER WHEN WE FIRST
GOT TO DAYTONA A COUPLE HOURS
AGO. WE WERE LOOKING AT
FLOODING MORE IN SOUTH DAYTONA
AND WE THOUGHT IT WAS BAD
THEN. BUT NOTHING LIKE THIS.
MATT AND GINGER. AND
UNFORTUNATELY, WE DON’T HAVE
AN UPDATE ON THAT WATER RESCUE
SITUATION. WE DON’T KNOW THE
OUTCOME THERE.
>> GINGER: YEAH, WELL,
HOPEFULLY WE’LL BE ABLE TO GET
SOME MORE INFO ON JAMES
SPARVERO. BUT JUST LOOKING AT
YOU WHEN WE CAN’T SEE THE
ACTUAL TRUCK, IT LOOKS LIKE