Indiantown residents concerned about worst flooding they’ve ever seen
Heavy storms over the weekend caused significant flooding in Indiantown, leaving residents with damaged homes and cars and raising concerns about drainage and community safety.
INDIANTOWN, Fla. —
Severe storms on Saturday brought several inches of rain to Indiantown, leaving roads submerged and residents dealing with flooding they say is unlike anything they’ve seen before.
Video footage shows standing water across the streets, and one clip captured a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer wrangling an alligator in a flooded neighborhood.
Tawan Stewart, a resident, described the extent of the flooding: “I walked to the end of my street, which I live right here down the street. It was a pool, more water than I had ever seen in all my life. I’ve been through hurricanes, we’ve been through storms, but usually the water recedes. It got dark and the water was still there,” Stewart said.
Patricia Jackson, another resident, shared her experience: “This street was flooded, so I came outside to look around, and it started drizzling. Then I noticed that my car was like halfway in the driveway, and I couldn’t get out because my car was so low. I was stuck, I couldn’t get out. And I was concerned not only for me, but I was concerned for everybody else as well,” Jackson said.
Floodwaters remain high in some areas, with streets like Palm Beach Street, the Wayne Brooks community, and roads near the Boys & Girls Club of Indiantown among the hardest hit. Residents are driving cautiously, but with more rain in the forecast, some roads could become impassable.
Anthony Dowling, Village of Indiantown councilman for Seat 4, highlighted the need for urgent action: “What we experienced yesterday was a hurricane type of rain, and we’re expected to experience some of that for the rest of the week. So, it is important that we, the village of Indiantown, make sure that we are checking drains. Because I think what has happened over the past four years, these drains were not maintained,” Dowling said.
Dowling also expressed concerns about safety risks posed by the flooding. “Even with mosquitos, and I would hate to say drowning because some of the water is coming up to waist level. So, you have these little babies or kids that are playing—anything can happen. So we as the village need to take the opportunity to look at the draining system and see where we can fix these issues immediately,” Dowling said.
Residents are calling on the community to attend a Village Town Council meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Indiantown’s Village Hall to voice their concerns and seek solutions to the flooding issues.