County: Brevard
ZIP Codes: 32934, 32901, 32903, 32935, 32904, 32912, 32919, 32941
Melbourne, Florida, located on the eastern coast of Florida, is particularly vulnerable to hurricanes, tropical storms, and high storm surges due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. The town's relatively low elevation, coupled with its sea-level location, often increases the risk of severe flooding during storm events, even from less powerful tropical systems. With this, it's crucial to take into account the potential for storm dependencies such as high winds, heavy rain, and high storm surge, all of which can cause considerable damage to structures and natural habitats, trigger widespread power outages, and displace residents. Over the past 30 years, Melbourne, Florida, has experienced a number of significant storms. The 2004 hurricane season was particularly destructive with Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, which both made landfall near Melbourne causing significant damage due to their combination of high winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surge. In 2016, Hurricane Matthew remained just off-shore, but its proximity caused heavy rainfall and high winds, leading to power outages and significant flooding. Similarly, Hurricane Irma in 2017 caused extensive flooding and wind damage. Preparing, responding to, and recovery from such severe events requires not only effective evacuation plans, but also the ongoing commitment to improve infrastructure resilience and the consideration of long-term climate change impacts on storm intensity and sea-level rise.