Related: Along the Coast: Scenes from big surge
By Rich Pollack and Mary Hladky
More than 7 inches of rain soaked Palm Beach County’s southern coast in just four hours overnight Oct. 26, stranding motorists, flooding the lobby of The Boca Raton luxury resort and sending Boca Raton first responders to as many as 100 calls for help throughout the city.
The Boca Raton Airport was shut down for more than seven hours beginning at 11:30 p.m. Oct. 26 as crews scoured the property to ensure it was clear of any water and debris so the aircraft operations could resume safely. The airport reopened at 7 a.m. the next day.
Boca Raton police said they received calls from stranded motorists — some needing rescue from their vehicles. City officials estimated more than 80 cars flooded. One car reportedly stalled out on the Camino Real bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. No serious injuries were reported.
In Highland Beach, fire rescue crews and police officers also responded to several reports of disabled vehicles.
In the Por La Mar section of coastal Boca Raton, standing water on Northeast Wavecrest Way remained ankle deep in the morning of Oct. 27, several hours after the rain had halted.
“It was unpassable,” said Katie Barr MacDougall, president of the Riviera Civic Association, which includes the Boca Raton neighborhoods of Por La Mar, Riviera and Sun and Surf.
Closer to the coast came reports of condominiums being flooded by the rain, according to Emily Gentile, president of the Beach Condo Association of Boca Raton, Highland Beach and Delray Beach, with greatest impact being felt in Boca Raton.
At the Mayfair Condominium on South Ocean Boulevard, board members said that more than 2 inches of water had flooded the lobby, Gentile said.
Street flooding, which was severe in the downtown area where photos showed some cars with water almost to their hoods, seemed to no longer be an issue by mid-morning.
“Our storm water system functioned exactly as planned,” said City Manager Mark Sohaney.
At The Boca Raton, cleanup was still taking place into the early evening of Oct. 27 after water flooded the lobby, destroying furniture and toppling planters. One video posted online showed what appeared to be about 2 feet of water in the hotel’s lobby; another showed what looked like muddied water covering the lobby floors.
A spokesperson for the resort said crews responded quickly — and that guests and meeting attendees checked in without delays.
Boca Raton city officials, concerned the ground was already saturated, urged motorists in the event of more rain to be cautious if they see water on the road ahead. “Turn around, don’t drown,” the city posted on its website.
At the Boca Raton Airport, officials said they were continuing to monitor weather conditions and would notify the public and airport users of any operational updates.
The volume of water that fell in two hours was enough to fill 25 to 30 football stadiums, said Zachary Bihr, the city's public works and engineering director.
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