It's true with tornadoes - they can wreck a house to splinters and the house right next door will be fine. Scary and random.
I don't know exactly the topography but her house must have been just a little bit higher - all of Florida is flat flat flat and not very far above sea level to start with. There are swales - sort of trenches - and ponds to catch some of the water, but this was too much water.
She said she only got water in the garage because inconsiderate people would drive by too fast in the deep water and send waves up the driveway into the garage!
Speaking of inconsiderate waves, just saw video of giant Carnival cruise ship sailing out of a port in Messina, Italy, and the waves from the ship caused a little tsunami and wrecked a cement dock with fancy boats - broke the dock, sank a bunch of boats... what a mess! Big oops! I think they need to stop making cruise ships bigger and bigger - at some point you'll get on a ship in Boston, walk to the other end of the ship, and get off in England and not sail anywhere!
