It was the rainstorm that seemed to never end, turning roads into rivers and forcing drivers to abandon their cars in search of higher ground.
By Thursday, Fort Lauderdale, Broward County and Dania Beach had all declared a state of emergency after the record rainfall.
Many roads in Fort Lauderdale remained impassable on Thursday morning, city officials said. Close to 26 inches of rain fell in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, with most of it coming down hard and fast in a matter of six hours, according to the National Weather Service.
Fort Lauderdale, still soggy the day after the deluge, sent out this alert Thursday morning: “Please avoid driving, if possible. Never drive through high water. Turn around, don’t drown.”
Crews are working quickly to clear storm drains and vacuum trucks are being deployed throughout Fort Lauderdale to suction water off the streets. But due to the high volume of water, most areas will need to drain naturally, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis warned during a news conference Thursday at police headquarters.
Fort Lauderdale City Hall remains closed. Floodwaters breached the ground floor overnight and the building lost power.
In Dania Beach, City Hall was also closed Thursday along with the beach, pier and all parks. Dania Beach is urging drivers to stay off the roads and has sent out crews to assess streets and infrastructure citywide.
In Fort Lauderdale, where cars floated down Las Olas like boats on a river, some were wondering if the city’s ongoing development boom made the flooding even worse.
But Fort Lauderdale’s mayor says one has nothing to do with the other.
“What we’re seeing here is a 1,000-year incident,” Trantalis said. “No city could have planned for this. Let’s face it, Fort Lauderdale is a flat city. Perhaps the highest area is 10 feet. We’re surrounded by water. We’re the Venice of America. Development and stormwater drainage are two entirely different issues.”
Fort Lauderdale will continue to face flooding challenges in the face of sea level rise and is doing its best to address that challenge, Trantalis said. The city is in the midst of a five-year, $200 million plan to improve drainage, focusing on the city’s most flood-prone areas, he said.
The epic rainfall only highlighted the problem, he said.
“I have driven around the city and there is not one part of the city that has not been impacted,” Trantalis said.
In some neighborhoods, people can’t leave their homes because water is at their front door, he said.
Fort Lauderdale’s first responders handled more than 900 calls for service related to the flooding, with the Broward Sheriff’s Office assisting with 300 of those calls, the mayor said.
“We are working hard to keep the community safe and to help those in need of service,” Trantalis said. “We need to make sure folks can get in and out of their homes.”
Trantalis says city officials are reaching out to state and federal officials for assistance.
“If someone is in a really bad emergency, they should call 911,” he said. “For non-emergencies, call 954-828-8000.”
Fort Lauderdale has set up a reunification center for evacuees at Holiday Park.
Some residents were forced to climb through windows to leave their waterlogged homes, City Manager Greg Chavarria said.
“We had some people we had to rescue out of attics,” he said.
Commissioner Warren Sturman, whose district includes downtown neighborhoods hard hit by the flooding, held a Zoom meeting on Thursday to check in with residents.
Sturman encouraged neighbors to check in on neighbors.
“People who are displaced will be a huge problem,” he said. “Housing is going to be a huge need. I want you to help your neighbors. Think about opening your home at least for the short term so people will have a place to stay.”
Sturman said crews are out there trying to clear the roads of cars stranded in the floodwaters.
“There’s cars stalled out everywhere,” he said. “The city is trying to clear the roadways so people won’t be blocked in. Once the floodwaters recede more, they can remove debris.”
Sturman urged residents to remove branches from the street on their own if it’s safe to do so, saying they don’t need to wait for city crews.
“We’re not helpless,” he said. “We don’t have to sit back and wait for the cavalry.”
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