Hurricane Matthew effects in Brevard: Damages, causeways reopened

The following are reports of Hurricane Matthew damage from across Brevard County by FLORIDA TODAY staff, news reports and readers.

Brevard County officials continue to assess damage from Hurricane Matthew.

MORE: The latest on power outages across Brevard.

Brevard County Emergency Management director Kimberly Prosser said the initial assessments will be done by Brevard County Fire Rescue, Brevard County Sheriff's Office, Public Works Department and other agencies.

Fire destroys Satellite Beach home during Matthew

FPL: Power restored to most of Brevard

FHP Lt. Channing Taylor said there are no restrictions on travel from the Orlando area to Brevard, including along SR 520 and 528.

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Traffic

All Brevard County causeways have reopened.

Indian Harbour Beach

• In Indian Harbour Beach, resident Steve Casanova reported a wind gust at 60 mph from the west-northwest. The sea wall in his home was breached and water is puddling in his backyard.

• A light pole toppled over near the Canova Beach Park entrance near Indian Harbour Beach. In Cape Canaveral, gusts bend, twisted and knocked down metal carports at the Palms East Apartments.

Beachside Melbourne under boil-water notice

Satellite Beach

• Satellite Beach Fire Department responded to a second fire before dawn Friday (Oct. 7). The house was a total loss.

• Firefighters in Satellite Beach battled a fire early Friday at Thyme Street. The unoccupied dwelling had a live wire on the ground in front of the house. Water supply needed to be restored to fight the flames. Also, in Satellite Beach, the front of the David R. Schechter Recreation Center building was reported to have suffered damage.

• Satellite Beach City Manager reported "downed power lines blocking roadways, trees blocking roadways, severe flooding on Cassia Boulevard and South Patrick Drive, some traffic lights not working, biggest problem are structure fires since no water to fight them"

• The roof has been destroyed at the 1592 SR A1A building, which includes Latorra's Bagels and Italian Deli, a hair salon, and Atlantic Nonlawyer Services Inc.

• Lots of trees were down on DeSoto Parkway in Satellite Beach.

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Melbourne

• Hurricane-whipped winds slammed the sailboat “Running Free” into the seawall behind the Eau Gallie Public Library, where it ran aground at a tilt. Friday morning, a trio of Melbourne police officers examined the Cocoa Beach-based watercraft while spectators took photos.

• In the Summer Brook neighborhood off Wickham Road near Pineda Causeway, vegetation and fencing took the brunt of the damage. Tree limbs and branches were scattered in yards, streets, sidewalks and driveways. Several wooden fences were down, handful of screens are damaged. Very little roof, soffit or shingle damage was apparent.

• Torn canopies from near a barbershop and Tangles Hair Studio in downtown Melbourne.

• In downtown Melbourne, a tall bamboo strand got pushed over the Foo Bar patio wall and collapsed onto the New Haven Avenue sidewalk. A trio of canopies tore loose at La Galerie and blew east down Strawbridge Avenue.

Rockledge

• In Rockledge, some mobile homes were severely damaged by the storm, as were awnings, pool enclosures, roofs and fences.

• A tree fell on a house in Rockledge.

• Power lines were down in the city.

• Some trees have been splintered and branches are down, but neighborhoods off Fiske Boulevard in Rockledge fared well in the storms.

• Members of Rockledge Fire Department Station 2 reported a "fully-involved structural fire" overnight on Red Bud Circle, near Murrell Road. The house did appear to have been occupied, firefighters said. The cause of the fire wasn't disclosed yet. The house looked like it was a total loss. The elderly couple, the Longs, escaped, but their four cats are missing.

• Fiske Boulevard south of Eyster Boulevard had about a half-mile where torn power lines laid across the west, southbound lane.

• Nancy Todd, who lives near Rockledge Country Club said her residence lost fencing and that she currently had no power but otherwise did OK. "Feel very lucky. We have a very big picture window," Todd said. "I said as long as we don't lose that, if we're out of power for a couple of days, even a week it's all worth it." She, along with her family stayed in Rockledge during the storm.

• On Levitt Parkway, a large tree was knocked over, nearly missing a pickup truck, but blocking Bellaire Lane.

• Another large tree was knocked over and blocking Beacon Road off Fiske Boulevard.

• Several businesses also suffered damage. At Tradewinds Plaza at Barnes Boulevard and Murrell Road, a large sign that displays all the businesses in the plaza was knocked over.

• The 7-Eleven at Barnes and Fiske boulevards had part of its gas pump awning torn apart. The Shell station at Eyster and Fiske Boulevards suffered similar damage.

• Large Lowe's sign in front of Ruby Tuesdays was knocked over.

• In Southwest Rockledge, Daril Pacinela said there was minimal damage to a border fence, adding, "We didn't lose power, not that much damage. ... Nothing rose up in the back, no water damage whatsoever. We're lucky in this storm."

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• Damage to a fence near the Knights of Columbus building in Rockledge

• Lots of power lines down, lots of signs damaged and one manufactured home crushed near Cedar Street and Eyster Boulevard.

• Electricity remained on throughout the worst of Hurricane Matthew at Viera East Golf Club homes.

• At Ventura condos in Rockledge, white, aluminum gutters littered the grounds, seemingly the worst of the storm's wrath there.

• Panels of a wooden fence knocked down in Chelsea Park neighborhood in Rockledge.

Orlando Melbourne International Airport

• Orlando Melbourne International Airport reported that "there is no apparent significant damage to airport runways, taxiways, buildings or hangars.  Windows and roofs are not displaying obvious damage, but the storm is still active. Teams of damage assessment crews have been assigned to evaluate critical airfield components," according to Lori Booker, airport spokesperson.

Cocoa

• Power was out in sections of Cocoa ranging from Indian River Drive (River Road) to the Fern Meadows development off SR 520 west of I-95.

• One home in the Lost Lakes mobile home park suffered heavy damage to its front and carport area. The park is located just west of I-95 near State Road 524.

• A section of Rosa L Jones Drive in Cocoa was closed due to a water main break.

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• From Yvonne Martinez, public information officer for Cocoa Police Department: "So far there is minimal damage to include downed power lines, downed trees blocking roadways, traffic signals down or not functioning and debris in roads. ... We are asking residents to please stay inside and off the roadways while this damage assessment is being conducted and until emergency personnel deem it safe. Among the major threats is the downed power lines." If you have damage to report, call 321-433-8588.

• Employees with Cocoa Public Works were removing fallen tree limbs and other debris. The main victims of the storm in Cocoa Village appeared to be signs and trees. No broken windows or harmed roofs.

• Downed power line in Indian River Drive in Cocoa.

Brevard water supplies mostly OK after Matthew

• The roof of a structure behind Stone Street in Cocoa Village was destroyed, probably by a tree, overnight. Neighbors said they heard "the roof peel off" but were unable to see damage until daybreak. A vehicle is in the driveway of the damaged property, but neighbors have received no response to calls.

•  A Chevron station on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Clearlake Road sustained heavy damage to its gas station port.

•  The majority of hurricane damage in Cocoa Village was seemingly confined to awnings, signs and trees. Not so the roof on a building at or adjacent to 105 Stone Street, which was destroyed late Thursday night, probably by a large tree limb. Representatives of the Cocoa Police Department reported that the building was searched Friday morning and neither people nor pets were found inside.

Cocoa Beach

• Access to Cocoa Beach was closed. City officials were not allowing vehicles into the city, citing downed power lines.

• Total roof collapse at Winn-Dixie on SR A1A and SR 520 Causeway in Cocoa Beach was reported

• Lamp posts fell over on the Merritt Island Causeway in Cocoa Beach.

• Traffic light signal was down at Patrick Air Force Base main gate.

Cape Canaveral

• Brevard appears to have dodged a bullet as the eyewall of Hurricane Matthew, which packed potentially catastrophic winds, just grazed the coast along Cape Canaveral.

Kennedy Space Center

• Wind speed possibly was upwards of 100 mph.

• Per National Weather Service, Air Force reported wind gust of up to 107 mph.

Merritt Island

• Possible roof damage at a home in Joseph Court on Merritt Island

• Fire at Merritt Island house

• Residents woke early Saturday in the Twin Rivers neighborhood on Merritt Island to pick up tree limbs and palm fronds littering yards. Fences had been picked apart in the winds, with many missing planks and others down entirely. Soffits lay scattered across lawns.

Brevard water supplies mostly OK after Matthew

Titusville

• Bay Towers (formerly known as Imperial Towers) residents were evacuated after the roof of the building flew off in pieces during the surge. Police on scene said residents were escorted to local shelters if they did not have friends or family to stay with.

The building, constructed in 1965, suffered severe storm damage and sits directly on the Indian River. Chunks of the roof could be seen hanging from balconies around the building.

The condos are located on U.S. 1 near the new Titus Landing shopping plaza.

• Traffic signals were out throughout the city.

• The roof on IHOP in Titusville was ripped off.

• A lot of people were moving about and driving while the winds in Titusville were still quite strong.

• Moonlight Drive-in possibly lost part of its roof.

• Downed trees, fallen fences, missing shingles.

• Reports of severely damaged signs.

• Possible car crash on Hopkins Avenue in Titusville.

• Reports that someone found a catfish in a driveway.

• Hospice of St. Francis was surrounded by downed trees and the roadway outside (Grissom Parkway) was cluttered with debris.

• One window at the Titusville Playhouse was broken, but the building was otherwise unscathed. If power was restored by Saturday (Oct. 8), shows could resume at 8 p.m. that day.

Melbourne Beach

• Neighbors were helping neighbors clear yards as passersby stooped, gawked and snapped photos.

• Less than 20 minutes after the Melbourne Causeway was reopened, motorists and residents descended on Melbourne Beach, a scenic beachside community.

• Along the south end of Riverside Drive, a white fishing boat lay smashed against the shoreline, pounded by the rough waves of the Indian River.

• In some yards along the river, there was evidence of a surge. Several yards were saturated with water and dotted with fallen branches and other hurricane related debris.

Indialantic

• Pounding Indian River waves rose over a seawall and swept beneath a park bench at Douglas Park in Indialantic. Trees collapsed and large branches snapped off across the grassy recreational area.

Contributors: James Dean, Dave Berman, Jeff Gallop, Lyn Dowling, Sara Paulson, Malcolm Denemark, Wayne T. Price, Jessica Saggio, Tim Walters, Tyler Vazquez, Suzy Fleming Leonard, Jennifer Sangalang, Rick Neale

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