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Hurricane Milton is no longer a system, but the storm definitely left its mark on the Space Coast.
At 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, as a powerful Category 3 hurricane with estimated wind speeds of 120 mph. The storm had battered the West Coast of Florida with howling winds, pounding rain and storm surge before moving across the state and exiting out of Cape Canaveral. #HurricaneMilton #Category5 #Florida #Sarasota #FortMyers #VeroBeach and #CocoaBeach were trending terms this week as Floridians prepped for the storm, evacuated the state and, for some, returned home to find devastating results.
In addition to the threat of storm surge and powerful winds, Hurricane Milton spawned several tropical tornadoes. Cocoa Beach, Vero Beach and parts of the Treasure Coast of Florida (Indian River County, St. Lucie County and Martin County) had significant damage from tornadoes.
In many cases, Florida residents were still without power as Hurricane Milton whipped through.
Reporters and photojournalists from FLORIDA TODAY, a USA TODAY Network newspaper, captured the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Milton in Brevard County, which is on the East Coast of Florida, home to the Cocoa Beach Pier and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. In many cases, cleanup will take months.
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Here’s a roundup of Hurricane Milton damage in Brevard County, Florida, city by city. These photos and roundups from FLORIDA TODAY journalists first appeared in a live blog covering Hurricane Milton’s arrival here. The information below tells the story of Hurricane Milton’s impact on the Space Coast.
Hurricane Milton damage in Canaveral Groves, Florida?
Like most of Brevard, the rural parts of the county north of Cocoa were quiet the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 10. Damage appeared to be minimal. Wind and water-logged soil toppled some trees, fences and mailboxes in Canaveral Groves.
Many front yards were underwater, but the water didn’t appear to reach any homes. Ducks, horses and goats splashed happily in the puddles as homeowners began raking leaves and dragging fallen branches to the road.
— Eric Rogers, FLORIDA TODAY
Hurricane Milton damage in Cocoa, Florida?
Flooding in Cocoa, Florida
North Indian River Drive between City Point Road and Blacks Road in Cocoa, Florida, will be closed to through traffic due to flooding from Hurricane Milton. The road will reopen when the roadway is deemed safe to travel. Access to residential driveways will be maintained at all times. Traffic control signs will be installed to assist the motoring public. A detour route will be in place during the road closure.
If additional information is required, please contact Brevard County Traffic Operations Program Office at 321-633-2077.
— Jim Waymer, FLORIDA TODAY
Lake Poinsett area in Cocoa, Florida
Cocoa Mayor Mike Blake said in a late-morning update that there were powerlines down in some places around the city, and asked people to stay off the roads until they could be cleared.
“I would like for all residents to avoid roadways while they are being inspected for damage to ensure the safety of our employees, and also the public,” he said.
Blake said as of Thursday morning there had been no reported issues with the City of Cocoa water, which serves about 90,000 customers in Central and North Brevard, according to the city’s website.
Customers at the Lake Poinsett Lodge in the flood-prone neighborhoods around Lake Poinsett west of Cocoa were doing well Thursday.”Better now the bar’s open!” one patron said happily, with a gesture toward the darkened barroom.Owner Michelle Miles said this was the first storm where the bar had lost power in recent memory, but that didn’t stop a handful of regulars from taking advantage of the breezy Thursday afternoon.Flooding was minimal in the area around the lake. Some roads and front yards were under about three inches of water. The lake is fed from the nearby St. John’s River, which often overflows after storms.”It takes a few days though, because of the runoff,” Miles said. Maybe a week before the water level would peak, she said.There was no damage to the bar or her home in Cocoa, she said. A palm tree near the bar snapped and tumbled under the wind, but that was the extent, she said.
— Eric Rogers, FLORIDA TODAY
Hurricane Milton damage in Cocoa Beach, Florida: EF1 tornado hit Cocoa Beach
After conducting a field survey, National Weather Service meteorologists have confirmed that Hurricane Milton spawned an EF1 tornado that struck Cocoa Beach businesses and homes Wednesday evening.
Packing winds of roughly 85 mph to 95 mph, the barrier-island twister ripped much of the roof off the Wells Fargo branch at North Atlantic Avenue and South Banana River Boulevard, exposing a skeleton of wooden rafters and shoving pink insulation into the parking lot.
Six to eight buildings in the Publix-anchored Banana River Square plaza sustained moderate-to-major roof damage. The nearby SuperCuts building sustained damages. Windows shattered at Health First AdventHealth Centra Care. And Cocoa Beach Mayor Keith Capizzi who lives nearby posted a video to Facebook showing trees knocked over in his yard, debris and roofing damage to neighborhood properties.
Tornadoes are rated on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with EF0 representing the weakest tornados and EF5 the most powerful.
The EF1 tornado’s radar signature indicates it formed between 5:50 p.m. and 6 p.m. Wednesday. After Milton churned across the Space Coast and winds dissipated, survey crews from the National Weather Service station in Melbourne toured the damage scene Thursday afternoon, then confirmed the tornado touchdown, meteorologist Zach Law said.
Law said the airborne circulation began as a waterspout out in the Atlantic Ocean before spinning onshore.
“Once across A1A, they have found that it moved (west-northwest) along South Banana River Boulevard. And then, they believe that the system then exited land out into the Banana River. They’re estimating that to be near St. Croix Avenue. There’s some additional damage to homes around that particular street,” Law said.
“They have no evidence that it made it over the Banana River into Merritt Island,” he said.
— Rick Neale, FLORIDA TODAY
Cocoa Beach couple on St. Croix avenue took shelter in a closet during the tornado
Drone footage captures the aftermath of a Hurricane Milton tornado in Cocoa Beach, Florida
Hurricane Milton damage in Melbourne, Florida?
Spotted Fawn Way in Melbourne, Florida, was closed to through traffic due to flooding from Hurricane Milton.
The road will reopen when the roadway is deemed safe to travel. Access to residential driveways will be maintained at all times. Traffic control signs will be installed to assist the motoring public. A detour route will be in place during the road closure.
If additional information is required, please contact Brevard County Traffic Operations Program Office at 321-633-2077.
— Jim Waymer, FLORIDA TODAY
Melbourne Orlando International Airport now has a 30-foot hole in the roof because of Hurricane Milton.
Hours after Hurricane Milton’s landfall in Siesta Key, the storm’s winds caused part of the skylight at the Melbourne airport to come crashing down. Executive director Greg Donovan said the hole in the roof is about 30-feet by 40-feet wide. The incident happened about 2 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 10 (landfall was 8:30 p.m. the previous night across the state). The section was near the terminal and had been cordoned off before part of the roof came crashing down. There were no injuries reported.
The airport reopened Friday, Oct. 11.
— Jeff Meesey, FLORIDA TODAY
Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey said the city appears to have avoided major damage from Hurricane Milton.
“As city crews assess the damage, it appears Melbourne was only slightly impacted from Hurricane Milton,” Alfrey said. “There are reports of power outages (including myself), but, overall, we are absolutely blessed, with minimal damage or storm surge.”
Alfrey credits work the city has done to shore up its infrastructure, coupled with the cleaning of storm drains before the hurricane, with helping to keep damage to a minimal.
Among the things Alfrey noted during his drive through the city Thursday morning were numerous damaged business signs and some boats submerged in local waterways.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to those severely impacted throughout Florida,” Alfrey added.
— Dave Berman, FLORIDA TODAY
Hurricane Milton damage in Mims, Florida?
Hatbill Road south of Baxter Road, located in Mims, was closed to through traffic due to flooding from Hurricane Milton. The road will reopen when the roadway is deemed safe to travel.
Access to residential driveways will be maintained at all times. Traffic control signs will be installed to assist the motoring public. A detour route will be in place during the road closure.
If additional information is required, please contact Brevard County Traffic Operations Program Office at 321-633-2077.
— Jim Waymer, FLORIDA TODAY
Hurricane Milton damage in Rockledge, Florida?
Rockledge Drive between McIver Lane to US 1, located in Rockledge, was closed to through traffic due to flooding from Hurricane Milton.
The road will reopen when the roadway is deemed safe to travel. Access to residential driveways will be maintained at all times. Traffic control signs will be installed to assist the motoring public. A detour route will be in place during the road closure.
If additional information is required, please contact Brevard County Traffic Operations Program Office at 321-633-2077.
— Jim Waymer, FLORIDA TODAY
Major roadways and most side streets in Rockledge were clear of debris Thursday afternoon. A line was down at the corner of Barton Boulevard and Baldwin Street, where a tree snapped and took out the sign for Community Discount Pharmacy.
Pharmacy owner Raj Patel was on his phone, surveying the damage.
“I don’t know if it was struck by lightning or what,” he said.
He said there was no damage or flooding inside the shop, and his home and family in Orlando were safe.
“We came out okay,” he said.
— Eric Rogers, FLORIDA TODAY
Hurricane Milton damage in Satellite Beach, Florida?
Satellite Beach Mayor Steve Omer said, “The city staff, along with the help of our residents, prepared our community for what we thought would be much worse than we received. We are extremely thankful and even though we have residents without power − we know FPL is doing their best to get it restored. Our staff was amazing throughout the storm and our thoughts and prayers are with the west coast of Florida and others who were affected by Milton.”
— Amber Olesen, FLORIDA TODAY
Hurricane Milton damage in Titusville, Florida?
Windover Way in the vicinity Deer Trail, located in Titusville, was closed to through traffic due to downed power lines and trees from Hurricane Milton.
The road will reopen when the roadway is deemed safe to travel. Access to residential driveways will be maintained at all times. Traffic control signs will be installed to assist the motoring public. A detour route will be in place during the road closure.
If additional information is required, please contact Brevard County Traffic Operations Program Office at 321-633-2077.
— Jim Waymer, FLORIDA TODAY
Titusville police announced the northbound and southbound lanes of U.S. 1 (North Washington Ave) were closed and blocked near the Norwood Avenue intersection because of downed power lines.
Northbound traffic could detour via eastbound Garden Street, while southbound traffic can detour via Norwood Avenue. Police ask motorists to avoid the area.
— Rick Neale, FLORIDA TODAY
Hurricane Milton damage in Viera, Florida? Viera is near Melbourne and Rockledge
The streets were somewhat quiet Thursday morning, but plenty of people were getting on with their regular activities. A handful of people were out jogging when FLORIDA TODAY checked out the area.
Common sights observed in Hurricane Milton’s aftermath included trees snapped in two, a toppled streetlight, flooded roads and torn patio screens. Flooding appeared worse in north Rockledge, versus Viera. The Wawa on Stadium Parkway and Viera Boulevard is already reopened, with cars at the pumps, drivers filling up their tanks.
— Sara Paulson, FLORIDA TODAY
Hurricane Milton damage in West Melbourne, Florida?
West Melbourne City crews were evaluating and cleaning up “minor storm damage” Thursday afternoon, according to a memo from the city.
“We dodged a bullet, and the eye stayed north of the city, which put the heavy rain north of West Melbourne,” the memo said.
The memo reported trees and fences down in some parts of the city, advising residents that the building department will be driving the streets to document damage through Friday.
No significant damage was reported in West Melbourne as of Thursday morning, according to police.
The city saw some trees and powerlines down, but the damage from the storm wasn’t significant and was not causing traffic to be rerouted in any area.
However, a house fire broke out off South Drive around 9:38 a.m. likely due to a generator being placed too closer to some shrubs, police said. While the fire initially caused traffic to be diverted, it was put out by 11:44 a.m., and there were no injuries reported, police said.
— Finch Walker, FLORIDA TODAY
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