It has been just over a week historic since rains fell of Super El Niño proportions and the aftermath remains. As noted at a recent Rivers Coalition meeting, …“This degree of El Niño is unprecedented having never occurred in the modern record. Up to 38 inches of rain possible +/-; as well as some tornadoes; and windy/ foul weather to be expected from November to April. We are experiencing an ocean/atmospheric phenomenon that will have huge effects on all of South Florida, Lake Okeechobee, and our St. Lucie River/Indian River Lagoon”…
Martin County, FL
On November 7, 2026 Treasure Coast Newspapers reported that from November 1 through November 3, 16.7 inches of rain fell in Port St Lucie; 14.72 inches fell near Carlton Road, Ft Pierce; 10:71 inches fell in Martin County; and 8.05 inches fell in Jensen Beach. One hard hit community lies in the Skyline Drive area of Jensen Beach and backs up to the historic Tick Ridge community along Savannah Road.
Most reported is NE Hyline Drive. According to updated county data 66 homes have been damaged, and 25 are entirely destroyed. The State of Florida has petitioned the Federal Government for a Federal Disaster declaration. The area lies east of Lake Henderson and the Savannas Preserve State Park Hawk’s Bluff and west of Skyline Drive, Jensen.
I was told by neighbors living near the flooding that around 4am on November 2, water overtook the neighborhood and people began evacuating. Yesterday there remained three to five feet of water in the Hyline/Savannah area and Martin County has begun to drain the floodwaters.
Early this morning, November 10, Martin County began pumping floodwater out of nearby Lake Pitchford along Hyline Drive and dumping it into a manhole I that believe will eventually get to Savanna’s Warner Creek where it will flow into the St. Lucie River. Below is District 1 Commissioner, Eileen Vargas from 11-9-26 reporting updates from her Facebook Page.
I was told by neighbors that the county has found no record of flooding to this level – ever….
Time will tell as people try to get answers as of to why this time was different and struggle to rebuild their lives.
One thing is for sure, tremendous development has occurred since the 1950s as can been seen from these historic aerials from my mother’s -Sandra Henderson Thurlow’s – book Historic Jensen and Eden on Florida’s Indian River. Sometimes we forget, that when we build, the water has to go SOMEWHERE.
