Relief abounds as residents emerge largely unscathed
Wellington woman, daughter get scare when part of roof blows off.
WEST PALM BEACH — Geoff Bradley never takes his yacht to port — not even for a hurricane.
Not even one like Irma.
The 57-year-old Australian didn’t mean to put his 90-foot boat through what was forecast to be one of the biggest storms to hit the U.S., but circumstances — and an expired visa — meant “Anna Marie” took off from the Bahamas to Palm Beach County about a week before Hurricane Irma was scheduled to arrive.
Bradley wasn’t worried. He secured his anchors by the Palm Beach Sailing Club on the Intracoastal on West Palm Beach’s north end, pulled out his guitar and rode out the storm.
Video he took during the worst of the storm shows rising water and rocking waves. Other shots capture Bradley enjoying boatcooked meals of curried chicken and spaghetti.
“I know my boat,” remarked a shirtless Bradley, a diet Coke in hand.
Much to the surprise of those who stopped to chat Monday afternoon on the shore by the Sailing Club, Bradley was fine, “better than the rest of us,” one man, whose sailboat had drifted north to Peanut Island, remarked.
He just needed to get in touch with his wife back home in Kempsey in New South Wales. She was more worried about the boat than she was about him, Bradley laughed.
Across Palm Beach County, other tales of fear and relief emerged in Irma’s wake:
Juno Beach
Damage appeared confined to downed trees, said Police Chief Brian Smith.
“Even though we had 100-mph wind gusts, we’ve checked the whole town and haven’t seen many problems,” said Smith. “Even the mobile home parks seem to have come through fine.”
Smith said much of his city was still without power, although “some areas were on.”
Traffic lights were out at most intersections.
The Publix at Bluffs Square shopping center opened Monday morning with the smells of baked goods, fried chicken and free coffee. Some people gathered on benches inside the store to enjoy the sweet relief of air-conditioning.
Cashiers could accept cash or credit cards but not debit cards.
The town was officially observing a county-wide curfew, but that didn’t deter crowds at the town’s beaches, where street parking was full.
Erosion was minimal, although some sea-turtle eggs were scattered after high surf inundated nests.
Just north of the still-closed Juno Beach pier, about 30 surfers rode 5- to 7-foot Irma-provided waves.
“There are huge barrels with new ones always popping up,” said A.J. Merle of Jupiter Farms, who was taking a break before heading back out. “Those are real beautiful waves today.” Palm Beach Gardens
Pockets of Palm Beach Gardens homes remained without power Monday, as city crews and residents began clearing huge trees and limbs Irma uprooted or ripped down, occasionally taking power lines with them.
Traffic lights on Northlake Boulevard and Prosperity Farms Road were out of order Monday afternoon. Crews repaired the light at PGA Boulevard and Ellison Wilson Road by about 11 a.m. Monday. The PGA Boulevard Bridge had reopened after being closed Sunday about 5 p.m. for a downed wire.
The Gardens Mall remained closed, with plans to reopen 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today. The mall will close early because of the dusk-to-dawn curfew in effect for Palm Beach County. The mall saw only minor damage to the landscaping, and no damage to the structure, according to a mall spokesperson.
Irma tore down siding, patio screens and storm gutters in The Meadows mobile home park on PGA Boulevard, but no serious damage was apparent.
Despite a mandatory evacuation order for mobile-home parks, Rick Rodgers stayed put. He lost power for only about an hour, starting at 11:30 p.m., he said.
He and his wife were supposed to leave Saturday for a New York vacation, but decided it was best to postpone their plans.
Rodgers weathered Hurricane Matthew in the trailer, which also sheltered his mother-in-law for hurricanes Frances, Jeanne and Wilma. He waited those out on Singer Island, which is also typically one of the first areas to evacuate.
“We watch the track closely,” he said. “Logistically, it was just better to stay.” Jupiter
Traffic lights were out in many places, with motorists asked to treat them as four-way stops.
Crews were cleaning fallen trees and branches from swales and sidewalks throughout north county.
Aluminum walls were ripped down by Irma’s winds Sunday afternoon at the Jupiter Pointe Club & Marina, exposing the 400 boats stored inside.
Parks in Jupiter will remain closed today. Boca Raton
Crews removed tree limbs and debris left by Hurricane Irma quickly Monday from roadways as city officials contemplated when to lift the dusk-to-dawn curfew.
The bad news was the clear roadways meant that Boca Raton’s notoriously impatient drivers were driving them — many of which remained without traffic signals.
In east Boca Raton, fender benders abounded. Residents blared horns at each other at intersections in a succession of standoffs followed by free-for-alls.
City spokeswoman Chrissy Gibson said generators were being dispatched to the city’s busiest intersections and she encouraged people to stay home.
“They’ve been cooped up without power and want to get out. I understand that,” she said. “But it’s making for a dangerous situation.”
There were some signs of life with businesses throughout the city. The McDonald’s on Military Trail at Boca Center had its drivethrough open with cars 25 deep.
Publix and Winn-Dixie supermarkets were open but most stores were closed. City beaches remained closed.
Boca Raton Regional Hospital was open.
Gibson said the east side of Boca Raton has more power failures because all the electrical lines are above ground. The newer developments to the west have lines buried, she said. Boynton Beach
Although roads were sprinkled with tree limbs and debris and traffic signals at major intersections were powerless, Boynton Beach residents took to the streets Monday even before officials said it was safe.
While driving through the city to survey damage, Boynton Beach Police Sgt. Phil Hawkins said those outside were mostly sightseeing.
“We are lucky that was not a Category 5 or a 4 or a 3,” Hawkins said. “We are lucky we just got smacked by some winds.”
Even Briny Breezes, the community of mobile homes across the Intracoastal Waterway bridge, survived without sustaining major damage.
“If a Category 4 hit us, they would not be there any longer. They would have been gone,” Hawkins said.
Looters were not a problem in the city. But lack of power was.
About noon, Hawkins estimated 12 large intersections were without working traffic lights.
About a quarter of the city was still without power at midday, he estimated.
Still, businesses opened. And residents found them.
Drivers waited in a line down Federal Highway south of Woolbright to buy lunch at McDonald’s.
Nick Harb opened the Ocean Food Mart on Federal Highway at 8 a.m. By 11 a.m. he had helped hundreds of customers and found himself out of bread, eggs and milk.
“We had power and we knew a lot of places weren’t open,” Harb said.
Eddie Olsen and his 11-year-old son, Evan, stopped by the store and planned to barbecue later that afternoon. The family lives in Briny Breezes but stayed in a hotel while Irma passed.
“We got pretty lucky. If it would have come up the east coast it would have been a whole different situation,” Eddie Olsen said.
The Publix stores at Gateway Boulevard and High Ridge Road, and at Congress Avenue and Boynton Beach Boulevard were open, Hawkins said.
Lucille’s, a barbecue joint off Jog Road and Boynton Beach Boulevard, was also open.
Manager Jonathan Huseman said, “We had power and a lot of people looking for food so we said why not open and be of service to the general public. We filled up as soon as we opened.”
Irma’s winds reached 67 mph and were too wild for the city’s first responders to be out during the storm.
Police waited to respond to 150 to 200 calls, Hawkins said. West Palm Beach
The city awoke to mild skies and relief, rescued by man and nature from a hurricane that threatened far worse than it dished out.
Winds were down to 24 mph at 7 a.m. Monday, which quickly faded to nothing. That’s a far cry from the noisy horizontal rain and palm tree-bending, near-80 mph winds of the night before.
Still, the city urged residents to stay off the streets — cars, especially — to allow crews to assess damage and clear debris. The citywide curfew that took effect at 8 a.m. Saturday has been lifted during daylight hours but remains in effect dusk to dawn. Many traffic signals are out of service and trees and branches are down all over, so driving is extremely risky.
Two weary families had a big reason for gratitude. A police crew responded to a call at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday that the families — including nine children — feared for their lives because the roof of their Webster Avenue duplex was leaking badly and threatening to lift off.
Because the winds were more than 35 mph, the rescuers went out in an armored personnel carrier, a military vehicle used by the SWAT team.
All 13 kids and parents rushed into the van, carrying blankets and pillows, and were taken to an emergency shelter at Forest Hill High School.
“The kids were upset, crying,” Sgt. Randy Nash said. “They couldn’t get out of that house soon enough.” Wellington
Migdalia Alica and her daughter, 19-year-old Caitlyn, woke up Sunday morning to Hurricane Irma’s howling winds outside their townhome in Wellington’s French Quarter development and decided to make the most of their access to power by cooking breakfast. But as their eggs sizzled on the stove, they heard a loud sound outside. Then, darkness.
The pair rushed outside to see that a strong gust of wind had clipped off the corner of their roof, leaving insulation and plywood flapping. On another side of their house, the wind had torn off several roof tiles.
“I’ve never experienced such a scary moment ever,” Migdalia said Monday morning, her voice shaking as she stood with Caitlyn next to her car, charging her cellphone as she tried to reach her property insurance company.
Frightened and uncertain of whether their home would be safe for the rest of the storm, Migdalia and Caitlyn ran through the rain to their neighbor’s home, where they spent the night.
With so many trees down across Wellington, Village Manager Paul Schofield cautioned that it could take a couple of weeks for crews to pick up the debris. He urged residents to cut up large trees into 4-foot sections, and place at the curb all debris.
Garbage collection resumes today, but only for regular trash. Separate crews will pick up vegetation. Lantana
Dozens gathered Monday afternoon on what was left of the Lantana beach, eager to be out of the house, desperate to ride Irma’s waves.
Johnny Henegari had to evacuate from his home on Hypoluxo Island to Delray Beach. His home escaped unscathed so the 47-yearold enjoyed the post-Irma hours surfing.
Henegari, like many out Monday afternoon, had a case of cabin fever. Lake Worth
There were close to 25,000 without power in Lake Worth.
“We have our damage assessment crews out there,” Ed Liberty, head of Lake Worth Utilities, said Monday. “We got a pretty good handle on it last night.”
The utility has about 27,000 customers, Liberty said.
Some customers would be getting power back Monday, he added.
“Larger, more complex repairs will take a little longer,” Liberty said.
Irma, however, didn’t keep all businesses closed Monday.
Lilo’s Streetfood and Bar on Lake Avenue planned to open by 1 p.m.
“We only lost power for a little bit,” said Adam Brigham, the restaurant’s general manager. “
Rod Regan, one of the owners of Brogues Down Under, said his eatery was open.
“We did fine,” Regan said. “We just has a few downed trees and lost WiFi, but that’s normal.” Lake Park
Lake Park Town Manager John D’Agostino admitted things could have been far worse after surveying the damage caused by Hurricane Irma.
Though downed trees and debris were plentiful, there was limited structural damage to the town of 8,700.
“I thought we fared fairly well,” D’Agostino said Monday.
The town sustained a significant amount of tree damage, much of it caused by a tornado that uprooted trees in Kelsey and Lake Shore parks, D’Agostino said. A pump station at Kelsey Park also was damaged by the tornado, causing sewer backup along Lake Shore Drive.
D’Agostino said trash collection will resume today, but recycled items will not be picked up until next week. Pickup of vegetation will be delayed. North Palm Beach
There was much relief in North Palm Beach after damage assessments were completed Monday.
The village of 13,000 fared well after Hurricane Irma’s passage a day earlier.
“We had one roof damaged at a condominium,” Village Manager Andy Lukasik said. “But other than that, it’s been small items like roof tiles broken, some damage to gutters, some roof tiles blown off. But there’s been no significant structural damage whatsoever.”
Trash pickup will resume today. Recyclables will not be picked up, as the transfer station the village uses is not open. Pickup of vegetation most likely will be delayed.