MIAMI – Days of rain have caused a flood of problems in South Florida.
On Wednesday, Governor Ron DeSantis declared one state of emergency for Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami Dade and Sarasota counties. Earlier in the day, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis also declared a state of emergency, along with the cities of Dania Beach and Sunny Isles Beach. At least 40 rescues took place in Dania Beach by police and fire brigades.
All public schools in Broward County will be closed Thursday for summer sessions. Also closed are county courts, U.S. District Courts and Dania Beach City Hall. The city clerk’s office remains open for election-related business.
The City of Miami announced that all city services at the Miami River Center, City Hall, parks, summer camps and solid waste collection were suspended Thursday.
Miami-Dade Public Schools will be open during the summer session.
Florida International University’s Biscayne Bay campus and the campus along I-75 are closed due to flooding. Nova Southeastern University’s Oceanographic Center is also closed Thursday due to flooding.
Due to flooding on portions of the rail line, Tri-Rail service between the Metrorail Transfer and Miami Central stations remains suspended Thursday morning. Passengers are advised to use the Metrorail system.
Miami residents in need of sandbags can pick them up at Douglas Park at 2755 SW 37th Avenue beginning at 10 a.m. It is limited to five bags per resident and they must provide proof of residency. They will be available until supplies run out.
Sandbags will be available at 11 a.m. at the North Miami Public Works located at 1855 NE 142nd Street. Opa-locka also hands out sandbags from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at their public works department at 12950 NW 42nd Avenue.
Several South Florida cities have received more than 18 inches of rain over the past two days.
North Miami has received more than 20 inches, Hallandale Beach and Hollywood have received more than 7 inches, Davie has received nearly 7 inches, Dania Beach has received 4 inches and Plantation has received nearly 10 inches.
In Northeast Miami-Dade, a man who lives at 223rd Avenue and NE 191st Street said he had to wade through waist-deep water to get to his home.
“It’s right where the entrance is to where my apartment is. The water was up to here (gesturing to his hips). I’m not kidding. And there’s a few cars stranded at the entrance. I’m going crazy because Yesterday I thought me: how do I get here, this is crazy, I don’t know how long this is going to last,” he said.
In Hollywood, more than a dozen cars came to a stop in knee-deep water on N 14th Ave. A pump on the street could not keep up with the rain.
Much of Miami-Dade and Broward are under a flood warning through 8 a.m. Thursday. A flood watch is in effect until Friday at 8 p.m
Some locations that will experience flooding are Miami, Hialeah, Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Hollywood, Miramar, Pompano Beach, Davie, Miami Beach, Plantation, Sunrise, Tamarac, Margate, Coral Gables, Key Biscayne, South Miami, Lauderdale -By- The-Sea, Surfside, Miami Gardens and Hallandale Beach, according to the National Weather Service.
The wet, stormy weather pattern will continue in South Florida through the end of the work week, forecasters say, while some of the tropical moisture will dissipate by the weekend. That will leave the region a bit drier, but there will still be a chance of storms, just not nearly as widespread.
