Families in Riviera Beach's Lone Pine Estates community are dealing with floodwater inside their homes, power outages and dwindling supplies after about 15.5 inches of rain inundated the city, prompting evacuations and straining the city's wastewater system.
Crews were using pumps and vacuum trucks Tuesday to remove water while fire rescue teams used rafts to help residents navigate flooded streets. The mayor called for Gov. Ron DeSantis to add Palm Beach County to the state emergency declaration, which could help open the door to federal FEMA assistance.
Water reaches homes in Lone Pine EstatesFor Susana Perez, seeing water reach her home was overwhelming.
"I was really sad. I started to cry," Perez told WPTV. "I never saw something like that before in all these years I've lived here."
Riviera Beach police Maj. Myers said the city received about 15.5 inches of rain and crews were deploying resources in an effort to reduce the amount of standing water.
Officials ask residents to conserve waterThe flooding is also putting pressure on Riviera Beach's wastewater infrastructure. City officials said a wastewater force main ruptured across Blue Heron Boulevard, adding to infrastructure problems caused by the flooding.
Richard Gallant, the city's assistant utility director, urged residents to reduce their water use.
"Try not to flush your toilets. Don't do laundry. Try not to use any excessive water," Gallant said.
Fire rescue crews help families leave flooded areasWPTV cameras captured fire rescue crews using rafts to move through flooded streets and help residents.
Perez, a Lone Pine Estates resident whose family was helped out by fire rescue, thanked crews for assisting the neighborhood.
"They were helping everybody in the neighborhood," Perez said. "God bless them, and we really do appreciate them for sure."
The city said emergency teams would stop entering flooded communities for routine assistance after 6 p.m. Tuesday, with crews continuing to respond to medical emergencies and life-threatening situations. Officials urged anyone needing evacuation assistance to contact the Emergency Operations Center before the cutoff.
Residents seeking nonemergency assistance can contact the city's Emergency Operations Center at 877-257-2374, according to WPTV's continuing coverage.
'This is not an overnight recovery'For families still surrounded by water, the next question is how quickly conditions will improve.
Lawson cautioned that the damage will not disappear when the floodwaters recede.
"This is not an overnight recovery," he said.
City officials are coordinating bottled water and ready-to-eat meals for affected families, while crews continue working to restore safe conditions.
For Lone Pine Estates residents, that recovery begins with getting the water out of their neighborhood and assessing what remains once it is gone.
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