HOBE SOUND, Fla. — While parts of Hobe Sound are still dealing with standing water a week after flooding rains, Martin County is collecting weather data designed to help plan for future storm events.
Ron Wagner watches as a newly dug trench carries flood waters out of the adjoining Hobe Heights neighborhood.
In a 10 day period, 20 inches of rain fell in the area - 12 inches on a single day.
Now Martin County has a new weather system to collect data from severe weather events like this.
8 sites have been set up throughout the county, in partnership with the State Division of Emergency Management. They run on solar power, and can still operate during a storm.
Martin County Emergency Management Director Michele Jones says, "So if power goes out we’ll still be able to know wind speeds. Good for first responders they’ll be able to go out and know when it’s safe to go out in high vehicles."
Jones says when it comes to hurricane season, more accurate data will allow people to determine if their home preparations were enough, based on the recorded wind speed.
"We did not experience hurricane force winds, or we did and the mitigation measures you took were able to sustain hurricane force winds or they weren’t," she says.
For some in Hobe Sound right now, first it’s a matter of just getting through this most recent flood event.