'We got the trifecta': Two Georges deals with massive flooding from king tide, full moon and Hurricane Nicole

BOYNTON BEACH — Come hell or high water — literally — Kevin Kudlinski and his staff at Two Georges Waterfront Grille in Boynton Beach planned to open the day after Hurricane Nicole swept through the area late Wednesday night.

The restaurant, which sits on the marina at the Intracoastal Waterway, took in close to 3 feet of water outside and another half a foot inside.

Still, a crew of what Kudlinski estimates was 15-20 people, arrived in the early morning hours Thursday to mop up the floors, clean all the mud off and air out the restaurant.

"It was a total team effort," said Kudlinski, who has managed the popular spot for 12 years. "We sent out a group text that we planned on opening that day and had everyone here with fans and squeegees and mops."

Kudlinski said preparation before the storm was the key. The staff used sandbags to protect important areas and moved electronics to higher, safer spots within the restaurant.

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The combination of king tides, a full moon and torrential rain from Nicole caused the extreme flooding. A king tide is an exceptionally high tide that occurs about three or four times a year. They typically happen during a full moon and when the moon is at its perigee, or during specific seasons around the country.

"We got the trifecta," Kudlinski said. "We knew we were in for a rough one with that combination. We have cameras and were all watching the water level rise that evening and yeah, it got pretty high."

Southern Palm Beach County got drenched with big rainfall totals

The brunt of the storm hit Indian River, Martin and parts of northern Palm Beach counties, but southern Palm Beach County was inundated with rain from Nicole's big outer bands.

According to data from the National Weather Service in Miami, Ocean Ridge received more rainfall from the storm than any other municipality in Palm Beach County — 4.87 inches. Ocean Ridge is a 2-square-mile coastal community on State Road A1A just south of Two Georges restaurant.

Jupiter received 4.79 inches and Boca Raton 4.17 inches. Four of the county's highest rainfall totals were recorded in the southern part of the county.

The storm flooded parts of Ocean Ridge, Boynton Beach, Briny Breezes and Delray Beach. Some of south county's most serious situations were reported in both Briny Breezes, a coastal community of 488 mobile homes along A1A, and Ocean Ridge.

"The north end of our town got the worst of it," Police Chief Richard Jones said. "We had a couple of houses that were inches from being flooded. Hudson Avenue was flooded pretty badly along with everything north of there. Some mailboxes on streets were completely submerged."

Jones said water levels quickly receded when the tides went back out.

"We're right there at the Intracoastal and the inlet, and we got the worst of it from the storm surge," he said.

Two Georges is in the area where Jones said took the biggest hit from the surge.

The restaurant, however, is designed in a way to deal with the potential high tides and excessive rainfall.

"It's open air, we have cement floors so the water can be swept out, and our furniture is water-resistant," Kudlinski explained. "First, we had to let the water level recede. There's not much you can do until that drops and then we can start the cleanup."

A renovation 20 years ago: How Two Georges adapted to high tides

The restaurant datesk to 1946, when Maryland locals Harry Scaggs and Fred Howlin bought a country store and turned it into a restaurant and bar. The Scaggs family expanded in Maryland and eventually migrated to South Florida.

Bill Jr. was the first of Bill’s children to move and he opened the old Bimini Bay Cafe in 1990, which is now Bradley's. The other three siblings bought Two Georges Restaurant in Boynton in 1997 and in 2004, Steve Scaggs became the sole owner and continues to run it with his son Steve Jr. — the fourth generation.

In 2001, the restaurant underwent a $1 million renovation that included a new tiki hut, party deck, seawall, boat slips and additional parking.

The old open-air chickee hut often collected several inches of water on its floor during high tide, which prompted the renovation to raise the restaurant area about 1½ feet along with a 33-foot A-frame roof and paneled doors that can close during bad weather.

"People just used to sit there in ankle-deep water. It was kind of the fun of it," architect Jamie Hoffman told The Palm Beach Post in 2001. Hoffman's team at Tektonica Inc. worked with the Scaggs family extensively on the redesign.

Today, Kudlinski knows exactly what time the daily high tides rolls in and monitors levels each day.

And by Thursday night, patrons weren't able to tell the restaurant had been drowning in water only 24 hours before.

"I had no idea," said Marge Carroll, a Boynton resident and regular at Two Georges. "But it doesn't surprise me. You have a bar on the Intracoastal and that's what you're going to get. The dock at my house was the same way. You just wait until the water goes down. All you can do."

Kudlinski and his staff said it all goes with the territory.

"We're a pillar in this community," Kudlinski said. "We're open and you're going to be able to get a beer here anytime."

Hurricane Nicole rainfall totals

4.87 inches: Ocean Ridge

4.79: Jupiter

4.17: West of Boca Raton

4.0: Boca Raton

3.89: Delray Beach

Other municipalities

3.28: Palm Beach Gardens

3.16: Boynton Beach

2.87: West Palm Beach

James Coleman is a journalist at the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jcoleman@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: After Hurricane Nicole cleanup, Boynton's Two Georges opens for business