Historic rainfall has left neighborhoods underwater across Palm Beach County, stranding drivers and forcing dozens of rescues. County commissioners are now questioning how the county plans for drainage as it grows.
Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded Florida’s state of emergency on Wednesday to include Palm Beach County. The county’s Emergency Operations Center is running at Level 2, a partial activation. Commissioner Gregg Weiss said parts of West Palm Beach received more than 22 inches of rain, and he described the storm as the kind some call a “one-in-1,000” event.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said crews responded to more than 70 911 calls on Sunday night in the Century Village area near West Palm Beach. Nearly 100 residents were trapped in vehicles as floodwaters rose to 3 to 4 feet in some spots. Firefighters used drones with thermal cameras, high-water vehicles and brush trucks to reach people, and officials said no one was injured during those operations.
In Riviera Beach, a swiftwater team worked for nearly 24 hours, evacuating 71 people, conducting two medical rescues and removing nine pets. Commissioner Bobby Powell Jr. said he was among those rescued by fire crews that morning.
The flooding came as crews also responded to a deadly Learjet crash near Greenacres, which displaced an estimated 400 to 600 people from a mobile home community. Commissioner Joel Flores said three precincts had to be moved because of the flooding on Election Day.
Commissioner Maria Sachs said new development must plan for drainage, noting that the region’s aquifers can take only so much water. Residents who need flood help can call 2-1-1.
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