Hobe Sound braces for Hurricane Isaias while dealing with drainage concerns
HOBE SOUND, Fla. (CBS12) — As Martin County Emergency Management and officials along the coast of Florida closely monitor Hurricane Isaias, folks who live in Hobe Sound, a community in the most southern part of Martin County are still dealing with what some neighbors call a "drainage problem."
"For the first time, I had water coming in the back of my house through the back door," said Cindy Dimonda, a concerned resident. She described the most recent major rain event that drenched Hobe Sound with record rain.
"Now we don't know what we are getting with this one [Hurricane Isaias]," she said.
With a face mask on, Dimonda pulled up her dark-colored sedan to East Ridge Park, located at 8764 SE Sandy Lane, where residents can now pick up free sandbags in preparation for Hurricane Isaias.
Sand, bags and county staff will be available from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sand and bags are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
"It's kinda scary, it's only July 31," said Dimonda. "The hurricane season is off to a busy, early start."
As county staff makes pre-storm preparations, residents are encouraged to review family plans, take steps to prepare in advance of possible impacts from Isaias, and include items such as face coverings, disinfecting wipes, and hand sanitizer to storm supplies.
Martin County Public Works staff is inspecting major drainage systems and stormwater treatment areas, removing small debris from neighborhood drainage systems to reduce the potential for blockages during rain events, staging pumps in flood-prone areas to reduce response time, pumping down various retention areas to provide additional storage during the event, reviewing active construction sites to maximize flow and reduce the potential for traffic hazards, documenting beach conditions in the event of beach erosion and staging equipment for emergency response.
Martin County's Community Information Center (CIC) is open for storm-related questions. Residents can call 772-287-1652, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
