Storm guide · Riviera Beach, Palm Beach Gardens and West Palm Beach, Florida

Flooding in Riviera Beach and northern Palm Beach County: what to check now

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By the Honest Mold Test Editorial Team · Researched from authoritative sources (incl. EPA and NWS guidance) · Published November 2026

More than 15 inches of rain fell in about 12 hours on Sunday, November 1, in parts of Palm Beach Gardens, Riviera Beach and The Acreage in northern Palm Beach County (WPTV, November 2). The City of Palm Beach Gardens said the total approaches a 1-in-200-year event for the area.

The worst of it for homes was in Riviera Beach. In the Lone Pine Estates community, one resident told CBS12 that water reached his garage around 7:30 p.m. Sunday and spread through the house about an hour later, into the bathroom and bedroom. Another resident told WPTV that just getting into her house meant wading through waist-high water. Utility officials reported isolated sewer backups into homes and asked residents to limit wastewater use, and the National Weather Service logged a broadcast report of half a foot to a foot of water and floodwater entering homes in the neighborhood. Riviera Beach Fire Rescue helped residents move through the flooded streets, and the city declared a local state of emergency on Monday, November 2 (CBS12, WPTV).

Streets flooded across the area too: PGA National, Steeplechase, Horseshoe Acres, Montecito, Sandtree Drive and Cypress Hollow in Palm Beach Gardens, Military Trail approaching Okeechobee Boulevard, and Banyan Boulevard and Australian Avenue in downtown West Palm Beach. If water got into your home, garage or ground floor, this page is for you. You may not need to spend anything on mold. Here is how to tell.

The first days after: what matters now

EPA guidance is that wet building materials dried within 24 to 48 hours usually do not grow mold. For homes that sat in water overnight, that window may already have passed, so the question now is how wet things got and how fast you can dry them. South Florida humidity slows drying: carpet can feel dry on top while the pad underneath is still wet.

1. Get standing water out and air moving. Run the air conditioning and a dehumidifier once power and equipment are safe to use. In humid air, opening windows can add moisture rather than remove it.
2. Pull what soaked. Wet carpet pad usually goes. Drywall that took water usually comes out a foot or so above the water line, along with wet insulation behind it.
3. If sewage backed up, treat it differently. Water from a sewer backup is treated as heavily contaminated ("Category 3" in cleanup-industry terms). Porous materials it soaked (carpet, pad, drywall, upholstered furniture) are usually removed rather than dried, and hard surfaces get cleaned and disinfected. Wear gloves and boots.
4. Check behind baseboards and under cabinets. Water a few inches deep gets behind baseboards and under kitchen and bathroom cabinets, where it can sit unseen.
5. Photograph everything first. Water lines on walls, damaged items, and the street outside. Insurers and any later assistance programs rely on them.
6. Check what sits low. Water heaters, air handlers, washer and dryer, and outlets near the floor. If water reached them, have them checked before you rely on them.

Do you need a mold test?

Often, no. If you can see mold, EPA says sampling is usually unnecessary: the job is to remove the wet material and fix the moisture. A test earns its cost when you smell mustiness but cannot find the source, when you are buying or selling, or when a landlord or insurer disputes what happened. Our cost guide lays out honest price ranges.

For a small area (EPA uses roughly 10 square feet as the line), most homeowners can handle cleanup themselves with gloves, an N95 and bagging the material. Larger areas, sewage-affected rooms, or moisture inside walls are where a professional makes sense. An inexpensive moisture meter will tell you more than a mold test.

Insurance: what usually applies

• Most homeowners and renters policies exclude flood, and rainwater that flows in from outside at ground level is usually treated as flood. Flood coverage comes from a separate flood policy (NFIP or private).
• Sewer or drain backup is often a separate endorsement on a homeowners policy, not part of the base coverage. Check whether yours has it.
• If you have flood insurance, report the damage, and keep the photos and receipts for drying equipment and supplies.
• New NFIP policies usually have a 30-day waiting period, so a policy bought now would not cover this event.
• Riviera Beach has declared a local state of emergency. As of November 3, Palm Beach County is not among the seven counties in the governor's state of emergency for this rain, and there is no federal disaster declaration. Watch the City of Riviera Beach and Palm Beach County websites for local assistance. CBS12 listed the Riviera Beach Emergency Operations Center at 1-877-257-2374 and Riviera Beach Public Works (drainage) at 561-845-4080.

Is it urgent, or can you slow down? An honest triage

Renters: a Florida note

Florida law (Section 83.51, Florida Statutes) requires landlords to comply with applicable building, housing and health codes and to keep the structure in good repair. Report water damage to your landlord in writing and keep a copy. See our renters guide.

A note on storm-chasing contractors

After flooding, door-knockers follow. Be wary of anyone who wants a large deposit up front, asks you to sign over insurance payments, pressures you to decide today, or will not give a written estimate. Get more than one quote, and check a contractor's license with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (myfloridalicense.com).

Frequently asked

The water only covered my garage floor. Do I need to do anything?
Probably not much. Bare concrete dries on its own. Check the bottom of any drywall, stored boxes, and anything in contact with the floor.

Will bleach fix it?
Not on drywall or wood. Porous material with mold growth should be removed. Bleach is for hard, non-porous surfaces, and never mixed with ammonia.

The water is gone. How do I know the walls dried?
A moisture meter reading at the bottom of the drywall, compared with a wall that stayed dry, is the simplest check. Readings that stay high after a few days of drying usually mean the material should come out.