Walton County prepares for compound coastal and inland flooding from Isaias

Walton County prepares for compound coastal and inland flooding from IsaiasWalton County commissioners were told that Hurricane Isaias could bring up to 7ft of storm surge and 5-10 inches of rainfall countywide, creating a combined coastal, surface-water and potential later river-flooding threat. The county is maintaining sandbag distribution points, monitoring rivers and deploying additional state-provided water sensors.

Commissioners unanimously approved mandatory evacuation of zones A, B and C from noon on October 8, based on an estimated 7ft surge and a precautionary one-zone-higher approach.

Emergency Management said 7ft of surge could inundate parts of Highway 98, while tides and wave action could add to water impacts.

The National Weather Service forecast 5-10 inches of rainfall countywide, with higher totals possible in some pockets; officials noted standing water was already present in Freeport and South Walton.

Walton County has four sandbag locations and has added water sensors in areas without river gauges; riverine flooding could emerge four to five days after the storm.

Walton County is preparing for a compound flooding event from Hurricane Isaias, after emergency management officials warned that storm surge, heavy rainfall and existing standing water could all affect the Florida county. At an October 8 special meeting, commissioners unanimously approved a mandatory evacuation for evacuation zones A, B and C, effective from noon. Emergency Management Director Jeff Goldberg said the decision reflected an initial National Hurricane Center estimate of up to 7ft of storm surge, which is at the upper end of the county’s Zone B threshold. The county’s practice is to order evacuation one zone beyond the projected level because storms can intensify rapidly. The A-C evacuation area encompasses most of South Walton as well as parts of the area north of the bay and Freeport. Goldberg said the 7ft scenario could bring inundation to parts of Highway 98. He added that the forecast surge figure represents water pushed by the storm, with tides and wave action potentially adding to impacts. The county’s planning assumptions also include 5-10 inches of rainfall countywide, with potentially higher accumulations in isolated areas. One commissioner noted that standing water was already widespread in Freeport and South Walton, making additional rainfall a significant concern. While county rivers were described as being in acceptable condition at the time of the meeting, Goldberg said Walton County was monitoring them and had installed additional state-provided water sensors in locations without river gauges. The National Weather Service did not consider river flooding the immediate primary concern, he said, but officials cautioned that riverine impacts can develop around four or five days after a storm’s passage. Sandbag supplies were also being maintained after reports that some locations were running low. County staff identified four distribution locations: the Mead property at Professional Place and US 98 in Miramar Beach; the Blue Mountain Pit beside the TDC facility on County Road 283 South; behind the county governmental complex in Freeport; and a site at the end of Vines Road off Woodyard Road. The board also unanimously ratified the chairman’s local declaration of a state of emergency. Emergency management had raised the Emergency Operations Center to Level 1 activation and opened Freeport High School as a voluntary evacuation shelter, including special-needs and pet-friendly provision.