As the United States coastal areas continue to deal with damaging weather, Florida has been hit with devastating rain that’s led to fatal flooding.
“Two people were killed — one of whom died in a vehicle — and hundreds of others were rescued since Sunday as a storm brought severe flooding in Palm Bay, Florida, according to Palm Bay Mayor Rob Medina,” ABC News reported on Tuesday, Nov. 3. “The deceased victims have been identified by Florida officials as Joshua Bennett, 34, and Archie Richards, 78.”
‘This Is Heartbreaking’
The weather that Florida has experienced is being described by the National Weather Service (via Florida Today) as an “extraordinary, intense period of rain” that took place over the course of 24 hours between Sunday, Nov. 1 and Monday, Nov. 2, in what’s being called a “one in a 1,000-year event.”
Medina spoke about the situation during a press conference on Tuesday, noting that emergency crews had rescued hundreds of stranded people, according to ABC News. Medina told reporters, “That is devastation within our city.”
Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins visited Palm Bay to see the flooding first hand and to talk with families from the area.
Along with expressing gratitude for first responders and locals who were coming to the aid of those in need, Collins stated, “This is heartbreaking. When you talk to citizens who literally just moved here, from Louisiana, got set up, got settled — everything they own is wrecked. It’s a huge loss.”
ABC News also reports that “[o]fficials [have] warned that flooding could continue even after the rain stops because water may take several days to drain. They urged residents to stay away from flooded roads, fast-moving water and downed power lines.”
The ‘1,000-Year Rain Event’ Term ‘Can Be Misleading’
While the current weather that’s hitting Florida is being described as a “one in a 1,000-year event” by the National Weather Service, Gulf Coast News warns that “this term can be misleading.”
“It has been a very rainy 24 hours in the state of Florida,” Gulf Coast News mentions while adding, “Some areas, such as south of Melbourne on the east coast, have picked up more than 25″. Rain totals of this magnitude in some areas are meeting the criteria to be classified as ‘1,000-year rain events.'”
Although the term seems to suggest the kind of rain that only occurs once every 1,000 years, Gulf Coast News explains, “In reality, though, the term is one that expresses probability. A 1,000-year rain event is a rain event that has a 1-in-1,000 chance of happening in an area in any given year. Expressed as a percentage, that’s like saying a rain event with a 0.1% of happening.”
On top of that, the exact amount of precipitation that results in an actual 1,000-year rain event changes depending on location.
‘One in a 1,000-Year’ Rain Leads To Fatal Floods in Florida