A Jensen Beach family displaced by historic flooding is searching for longer-term housing and money to repair their home after pleading for help before the Martin County Commission. Lisa and Jeremy French, who have two young boys, said floodwater destroyed much of their home's interior and left them trying to find a more permanent place to live while they work toward returning home.
“Today we are homeless,” Lisa French told commissioners. “We have nowhere to host Thanksgiving. We have nowhere for our boys to have Christmas. We don't have beds to come home to.” The family said the house was unsafe to enter. Lisa French described the losses: “Our appliances are gone, our cabinets are gone, every piece of furniture.” She said the home's floorboards were outside.
Historic rainfall across South Florida and the Treasure Coast surrounded the family's neighborhood with floodwater, forcing residents to use kayaks to get around and check on neighbors. Much of the water receded days later, leaving extensive damage. Lisa French sought assistance at the Hoke Library in Jensen Beach, where a Multi-Agency Resource Center has been helping people affected by the flooding. The family is trying to determine how to pay for repairs while securing housing.
French said her home flooded days after the rain stopped. Martin County said the home is near the Savannah Preserves, an area where excess water naturally flows from other flooded areas. French questioned whether other actions involving water entering the preserve contributed to the flooding at her home. “They're saying it's from natural rain, but they dumped Monday and Tuesday, nonstop into the savannas,” she said.
French said she worries the family could face a significant financial gap even if additional assistance becomes available. “Who's going to fill in the gaps?” she said. She wants her boys to continue growing up in the Jensen Beach home the family worked hard to maintain. Despite the damage, the family remains hopeful about returning. “We just want to go home,” she said.