When a high‑school freshman in Port St. Lucie was dropped off by his school bus on Monday morning, he found the road turned into a river. The water rose to his chest, forcing him to swim home—a scene captured on a phone video that quickly went viral.
Student’s account
“I’m scared; I just wanted to get out of the water,” Noah John said in the video. “I was swimming, and it got way deeper to my chest when I hit the ditch.” The 14‑year‑old described the bus stop as a shallow ditch that suddenly became a floodplain.
Father’s concerns
Noah’s father, Romeo John, who works at a local painting company, was present when the incident occurred. “I was really shocked; that’s my boy for real,” he said after seeing the video. He added that his son has been unusually drowsy since the swim, raising health worries for the family.
Romeo also criticized the school district’s communication during the storm. “We didn’t know there was going to be a storm,” he said. “The district should have warned us earlier and kept the buses away from flooded streets.” He expressed gratitude that the video went viral, allowing the whole community to see what happened.
District response
Superintendent Dr. Jon Prince held a news conference Tuesday, apologizing to parents and acknowledging the district’s decision to keep schools open was based on information from the Emergency Operations Center and the National Weather Service. He called the event “an unpredicted and unprecedented once‑in‑a‑century event for our community.” The superintendent’s office declined a personal interview.
The district says it follows state guidance for school closures and relies on real‑time data from the Weather Service. However, parents argue that the rapid rise of water levels required a more proactive approach, especially for student transportation routes that cross low‑lying areas.
Community reaction
Local residents voiced concern on social media, urging the school board to review bus‑stop locations and develop a clear flood‑response plan. Many highlighted the need for parental‑right notifications when severe weather threatens safe travel.
“If a child can end up swimming home, we need better safeguards,” wrote one parent on a community forum. “Our kids’ safety should be the top priority, not keeping a schedule.”
Looking ahead
Port St. Lucie officials are reviewing emergency‑management protocols. The city’s emergency management director indicated that future decisions will incorporate more granular flood‑risk maps and real‑time alerts to schools and parents.
For now, the district promises to improve communication and to reassess bus routes during extreme weather. Parents like Romeo John hope these steps will prevent another child from having to wade—or swim—through floodwaters to get home.
Original reporting: WPBF (Treasure Coast / Hearst) — read the source article.
