FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – From freezing temperatures to tornadoes and hurricanes, the weather in 2024 was memorable — especially for the people that it impacted the most.
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Natural disasters happen, but being prepared can make things a little easier to manage. For example, this hurricane season left Sue Goldberg stunned.
“I never thought this would happen,” Goldberg said.
Goldberg and her family have lived in the same home in Flagler County for 17 years. It’s not in a flood zone and it’s never been flooded.
But that all changed when Hurricane Helene came.
Hurricane Helene made landfall Sept. 26, with some of its highest wind gusts in Northwest Florida and Southeast Georgia; wind speeds up to 100 miles per hour in Alma, Georgia, 72 miles per hour at Jacksonville International Airport. Rainfall ranged from 1 to 5 inches.
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Then, more rain and Hurricane Milton came, making landfall on Oct. 9.
Flooding lingered on from the St. Johns River and other waterways. Flood monitors began shifting from action to minor and major flooding.
Goldberg didn’t know her home was flooding, but the water rose quickly.
“When we opened the door in our living room to go down to our basement, and we saw that it was almost up to the second or third step,” Goldberg said.
According to the National Weather Service data, the highest rainfall totals during Milton were recorded in Flagler, Marion, St. Johns, and Putnam counties, with up to 9 inches of rain.
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Basements in Florida are rare because of the water table, but Goldberg has one in her home.
Goldberg said she’s about 16 feet above sea level but her neighbors are about 20 to 22 above sea level.
“The water table is just so drenched and the Nor’easter winds. And the way the winds are, the water is trying to flow out to the ocean,” Goldberg said.
In Florida, you can only dig so deep until you hit water. The main source of water in Northeast and Central Florida comes from underground aquifers.
“The way the elevation of this property is when the original homeowners built the house, it had to be built with a basement,” Goldberg said. “We bought this home in 2007, we have never had any flooding. We have a sump pump at the end of the driveway and that kind of always works.”
The flood waters remained in her home for over a month despite pumping it out for dozens of hours every day.
Goldberg and her family had flood insurance, serving as a reminder of the importance of knowing when and where a home was built, and its worst-case scenario if a storm comes.
The Goldbergs are now getting back to normal and said they plan to never speak of Hurricane Milton again in 2025.