Heavy rainfall and localized flash flooding, particularly of low lying and urban areas, is possible through tonight, Wed., Aug. 24 according to the US National Weather Service in Mobile. A rainy pattern will continue across the area through the week. Showers and storms that develop each day will move slowly, resulting in locally heavy rainfall and potential flash flooding issues. Santa Rosa County Public Safety will monitor conditions throughout the week.
The county's public works department has sand available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the following locations:
- The corner of Leisure St. and Citrus Dr. in Navarre
- Tiger Point Park in Gulf Breeze
- Pace Fire-Rescue in Pace
- The corner of Pine Forest Rd. and Carroll Rd. in Milton
Residents must provide their own sandbags and shovel. Bags can be purchased at many local hardware stores. For information on how to make and use sandbags, visit the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes. While sandbags can help mitigate to an extent, buying flood insurance is the best protection against flood loss.
Floods are the nation's most common and costly natural disaster and cause millions of dollars in damage every year. And get it sooner rather than later - flood insurance requires a 30-day waiting period.
Report flooding
Residents or businesses who experience damage from storms may submit a report to Santa Rosa County online through the Citizen Damage Report form. To report the flooding of a ditch or street, use the online Citizen Work Request form.
Prepare now for severe weather. Make sure all family members know the plan.
- Have multiple ways of receiving alerts.
- Every home should have a NOAA weather radio, the first line of defense before relying on alerts through a smartphone.
- Smartphone weather apps are also an excellent delivery source of severe weather information and other disaster updates - especially in the overnight hours. Santa Rosa County's alert app - AlertSantaRosa.com - provides updates on emergency incidents (hazardous materials as well as severe weather) in the county at addresses of your choice (work, school, home, etc).
- Be sure that you have not disabled your alerts on your phone and that it is fully charged and within reach. If you use the "Do Not Disturb" feature on your phone at night, turn it off so that any emergency calls may come through.
For current weather events, visit www.weather.gov/mob. For information on preparing for disasters, visit www.santarosa.fl.gov/emergency.
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