Tropical Storm Fay stalled over central Florida on Wednesday, soaking the state for a third consecutive day and forcing emergency crews to launch airboats into submerged streets to rescue residents trapped by rising floodwaters. Officials reported flooding in hundreds of homes in Brevard and Saint Lucie counties, some by up to 1.5 meters of standing water. In three towns, rising waters backed up sewage systems. It was not immediately clear how many residents had been displaced or were stranded, but local officials reported making dozens of rescues. The storm could drop 75 centimeters of rain in some areas of Florida, and the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said up to 55 centimeters had already fallen near Melbourne, just south of Cape Canaveral on the state's central Atlantic coast. Forecasters initially expected Fay to regain strength over the ocean and possibly become a hurricane before landing in Florida for the third time later this week. The erratic storm first hit Monday, then moved over the Gulf of Mexico before crossing east across the state, briefly strengthening before stalling. Fay barely moved for most of Wednesday, dumping heavy rain over coastal central Florida.
