WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Residents of West Palm Beach’s Riverwalk community say they have been trapped for days by floodwaters left behind after a one-in-1,000-year rain event, with streets nearly impassable and residents reporting fish, venomous snakes and even alligators outside their homes.
Several residents reached out to WPTV asking for help as the water lingered throughout the neighborhood.
When Hoffman went into Riverwalk, he found flooded streets, residents unable to go about their normal routines and at least one alligator swimming through the water near a home.
‘An apocalyptic-type event’
“It’s like an apocalyptic-type event,” resident Don Gentile told Hoffman.
Resident Bobbi Jo Morgan said the flooding is unlike anything she has experienced in the neighborhood.
“This is nothing that we’ve seen before,” Morgan said.
Residents told Hoffman every street in the community had experienced some level of flooding.
Gentile said residents were hoping the water would eventually recede from the roadways.
“Hopefully this will dissipate in the roadways,” Gentile said. “But every street in this community has some kind of flooding on it.”
An alligator appears in a flooded backyard
The floodwaters have also brought an unusual concern directly to residents’ homes.
Residents told Hoffman they had spotted fish and venomous snakes in the flooded streets.
Then, while Gentile was walking Hoffman into his backyard, they came face to face with an alligator in the water.
“What was that?” Gentile asked.
“That was an alligator,” Hoffman responded.
Gentile’s neighbor, James Whited, was stunned by its size.
“That thing had to be — his head was bigger than a Volkswagen,” Whited said.
The encounter illustrated another challenge residents are facing as floodwater remains throughout the community: Wildlife can now move through areas normally occupied by people.
Flooding disrupts school and daily life
For some families, the flooding has disrupted more than their ability to drive through the neighborhood.
Some children have been unable to get to school.
“I think the office main area got flooded, and that’s the only thing that is stopping me to go to school,” young Blake Zeitz told Hoffman.
Residents said the neighborhood association has been working to develop a plan, but they fear the standing water could remain for days or even weeks.
Getting into the neighborhood remained difficult when Hoffman visited, with portions of the roadway nearly impassable because of the water.
Residents also told Hoffman that Amazon deliveries were no longer reaching parts of the community.
Some people were purchasing plane tickets and planning to leave the area until conditions improve, according to residents. Others said they had little choice but to remain in their homes and wait for the water to recede.
Residents want answers
As the water lingers, some residents are questioning what preparations could have been made for an extreme rainfall event and what can be done when flooding reaches this level.
Debra Zeitz questioned why there was not an emergency response capable of addressing the neighborhood’s situation.
“We’re Palm Beach County. We’re known for hurricanes and water and rain,” Zeitz said. “Why can’t they predict something like this, too, or at least set up some kind of emergency way to deal with that?”
For Riverwalk residents, the immediate problem remains right outside their doors: flooded streets, disrupted daily life and uncertainty about when their neighborhood will finally dry out.
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