Florida ? On Day Three of Tropical Storm Fay’s slow, wet march across the state, emergency crews launched airboats into submerged streets, some trapped residents were rescued from homes, and the midway point on Florida’s Atlantic coast turned into a swampy mess.

Calling the flooding “catastrophic,” Gov. Charlie Crist requested an emergency disaster declaration from the federal government to defray rising debris and response costs.

The storm could dump 30 inches of rain in some areas of Florida and the National Hurricane Center said up to 22 inches had already fallen near Melbourne, just south of Cape Canaveral on the state’s central Atlantic coast.

By Wednesday evening, the storm’s center had moved over the Atlantic Ocean, and its winds had picked up speed.

Forecasters expected the storm to strengthen slightly before turning back toward the mainland today and hitting Florida for the third time this week. But National Hurricane Center meteorologist Corey Walton said it was unlikely the storm would gain enough energy over the water to become a hurricane.