'We have to hurry:' Palm Beach County mobile home residents prepare for Tropical Storm Nicole

Edwin Alvarez and his friends were working in swift teams of three to hang shiny silver hurricane shutters Wednesday morning on his mobile home in Palm Beach Colony near West Palm Beach.

They ducked punishing spurts of rain that sent sideways drops at them as one man climbed a ladder to hang the top of the 6-foot metal sheet and Alvarez tacked the metal at the base of each window.

"We have to hurry, because we have to get all three of our houses done," Alvarez said.

Around the neighborhood, about one-third of the homes were boarded up for Nicole Wednesday morning. Palm Beach Colony, along with most mobile home parks in Palm Beach County and low-lying areas, was under a mandatory evacuation order.

Tropical Storm Nicole was nearing hurricane strength on Wednesday morning, maintaining 70 mph sustained winds, according to a National Hurricane Center advisory. It was in the Bahamas at that time.

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Palm Beach County was already feeling wind gusts to 39 mph at Palm Beach International Airport, which closed to commercial flights at 9 a.m. The storm has a massive spread of tropical storm-force winds spreading 460 miles — about the distance from Boca Raton to Savannah, Georgia — from its center.

In Palm Beach Colony, the rain came and went along with winds that blew off fronds from palm trees and knocked over yard decorations.

Alvarez and his friends were relieved when the rain paused. A high school-age student rode by on a bike and a woman peeked out of her home to take her dog on a quick walk.

But soon enough, the rain began again.

Some in Palm Beach County evacuating – but not too far – for Nicole

Luis Aguilar, whose house is farther north on Michelle Drive, took refuge inside his screened-in porch Wednesday morning.

He had boarded up just three of his home's several windows. He was looking around at a large leather loveseat, dining room table and dozens of outdoor decorations he had yet to bring inside the house for the storm.

Aguilar was the last one home. His wife and three younger children had already evacuated to his son's house in Loxahatchee. His plan was to join them with the family's three dogs when he was done preparing the house for Nicole.

"I woke up this morning, and we already had a cracked window in my daughter's room," he said, pointing to a small square window that was boarded up above an air conditioning unit. "My son called yesterday and said it'd be good if we came there today. As soon as I finish, I'll be with them."

Aguilar, whose home is one row in from a canal, said he and his family typically leave when storms threaten Palm Beach County. Luckily, they don't plan to travel too far for Nicole.

"When I get there, we'll wait," he said, looking at all that was left to do around his home. "And pray."

Most at Juno Beach RV park staying put for the storm

Farther north at Juno Ocean Walk RV Resort, Penny Davis was just finishing bringing in her patio furniture from outside her manufactured mobile home. She'd started preparing the house on Tuesday morning.

"I don't want to be here when the water comes," she said. "I'm most worried about the storm surge."

Davis planned leave that afternoon to stay at a friend's house elsewhere in Palm Beach County or check into the Hilton in Palm Beach Gardens.

But she said most of her neighbors in the 246-home community were planning to stay to ride out the storm.

About one-quarter of the homes had hurricane shudders attached to their windows — most were pre-fabricated metal sheets and not pieces of plywood. Vehicles were covered neatly with silver rain tarps held down by intricately placed bungee cords.

Davis' house, where she's lived for six years, is just three blocks east from the Intracoastal Waterway and about a half mile west of the ocean.

"I'm not worried about the storm surge coming from there," she said pointing to the ocean. "I'm worried about it coming from here," she added, pointing west toward the Intracoastal.

Elsewhere in the RV resort, Amber Spangler was packing up her SUV and making final adjustments to her camper. She had been renting a campsite at the resort when the county gave the order to evacuate.

Although she previously lived in Port St. Lucie, Spangler moved a few months ago into the camper full time. The large mobile residence attached to a truck up front so she has the ability to drive.

Spangler said she's familiar with hurricanes because she's lived in Florida in 2003, but Nicole will be the second storm she's weathered in the camper.

"I brought in all the pull-outs and we're trying to keep the (water) tanks full to weight it down," she said. "Everything out here will go inside, so there's nothing to fly around," she added, pointing to an outdoor rug and cooler.

Spangler planned to drive her SUV to a nearby family member's house in Juno Beach to ride out the storm. Before she left, she pushed pillows up against the camper's windows.

"I'm good, I'm just going to get out of here," she said. "I'm keeping a close eye on the wind and the rain, and we'll see."

Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at kkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work, subscribe today!

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tropical Storm Nicole: Palm Beach County mobile homes board windows