FloodingThursday, November 5
Record rain flooded Riviera Beach's Lone Pine Estates, and officials say recovery will take time
The 5AM Palm Beach Gardens team
If you live in or near Riviera Beach, here's what happened. About 15.5 inches of rain flooded homes in Lone Pine Estates, and city officials called it roughly a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event, with 15 to 20 inches falling within six hours. The city said more than 50 people were rescued.
Record rain swamped Riviera Beach and the county
- About 15.5 in.
- of rain fell on Riviera Beach
- More than 50
- people rescued from Lone Pine Estates
- 7.39 inches
- at the airport Nov. 2, breaking an 1888 record
Sources: WFLX, WPBF, The Palm Beach Post
The rain reached well beyond the city. The National Weather Service in Miami said the stretch from DJT Airport up to Palm Beach Gardens got about 18 to 19 inches over three days, according to the Palm Beach Post. Brightline service between West Palm Beach and Orlando was suspended.
- Non-emergency help: 877-257-2374 instead of 911
- Shelter: Therapeutic Recreation Center in Lake Worth
- Affected: Lone Pine Estates, Turtle Cave, 1000 Oaks, Indian Trace, Woodbot
- Supplies: city coordinating water and meals with Palm Beach Harvest
Record rain Nov. 2 leads to an expected Thursday road reopening
- Nov. 2Airport records 7.39 inches of rain, breaking an 1888 daily record.
- Nov. 3Riviera Beach emergency crews stop entering flooded areas after 6 p.m.
- Nov. 5Blue Heron Boulevard is expected to reopen in both directions.
Sources: WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm, WPBF, The Palm Beach Post
Mayor Douglas Lawson cautioned that the damage won't disappear when the water does: "This is not an overnight recovery," he said. Westbound Blue Heron Boulevard closed at Congress Avenue because of a water main break, and the city expects both directions to reopen Thursday.
Sources: WFLX, WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm, WPEC, WPBF, The Palm Beach Post