FLOODING: West Boca High, Sandpiper Shores Elementary Remain Closed As Cleanup Continues

BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — West Boca High and Sandpiper Shores Elementary will remain closed Thursday as the cleanup continues following flooding in much of Palm Beach County. The Palm Beach County School District made the announcement late Wednesday afternoon. Also remaining closed: Egret Lake Elementary, Grassy Waters Elementary, Washington Elementary, and Jaega Middle School.

Meantime, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue tells BocaNewsNow.com that crews spent three days getting residents out of flood water, from stranded cars near Century Village to flooded neighborhoods in Riviera Beach. The flood response ran from Sunday through Tuesday.

Wrote PBCFR: “It started around 5 p.m. Sunday, when firefighters responded to more than 70 911 calls from the Century Village area of unincorporated central Palm Beach County. Nearly 100 residents were trapped in stranded vehicles as water rose fast, reaching 3 to 4 feet in some areas, and crews found cars floating with people inside. Drones with thermal imaging cameras flew around stranded cars in Century Village, Cypress Lakes, the Tennis Club and other areas to find victims. Firefighters then waded in and used high water vehicles and brush trucks to reach them. Everyone made it to higher ground, and no one was hurt.

Monday night, the department’s Urban Search and Rescue Swiftwater Response Team moved into Riviera Beach, where many streets were impassable for vehicles. For close to 24 hours, rescue specialists went door to door in emergency rafts and boats to check on residents. The team’s count through Tuesday night: 71 people evacuated, two medical rescues and nine pets evacuated.

The flooding wasn’t the only emergency. Dozens of Fire Rescue personnel, along with a Mobile Command Post, were committed to the tragic aircraft crash site along Military Trail at the same time. Countywide, crews answered more than 1,600 emergency calls over the three days, a total that covers all 911 calls, not just flooding.”