The airport in Fort Lauderdale was closed and high-speed commuter rail service was halted for the Broward County area after nearly a foot (30 centimeters) of rain poured in a matter of hours.
On Wednesday night 12 April, the mayor of Fort Lauderdale issued a statement advising people to stay off the roadways until the water receded.
In response to citizen requests for help, “Police and Fire Rescue continue to answer calls for service,” the release read. The water level is being reduced as rapidly as possible by the Public Works crew who are emptying drains and running pumps.
As the potential of thunderstorms persisted across the region on Thursday 13 April, the National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for Fort Lauderdale and other regions, warning: “This is a life-threatening situation.” Now is the time to get up high!
No injuries or fatalities have been reported as of yet.
As of Wednesday 12 April, up to 14 inches had fallen in the area, and the National Weather Service predicted a further 2–4 inches as a warm front pushed northward, bringing the possibility of thunderstorms.
Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy told CNN that the area already had seen days of rain. “The ground was already saturated so there is extensive flooding all over our city and throughout South Florida. Many roadways are impassable.
Lots of vehicles got stuck and left abandoned in the middle of our roadways,” Levy said. “I’ve lived here my whole life. This is the most severe flooding that I’ve ever seen.”
According to reports, more than 22,000 Floridians were without power on Wednesday evening.
As the district stated, “All afterschool activities, events, and extracurricular activities are also canceled tomorrow.” This means that all Broward County Public Schools will be closed on Thursday.
As of 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, the airport, one of the largest in the region, announced that all incoming and outgoing flights were canceled due to the persistent rain.
Because of the frequent tornado warnings and persistent downpours, the airport announced the suspension of ground transportation shuttle service at roughly 5 p.m.
At about 5:15 p.m., the airport reported that major access roads had become inundated and were closed. No one should try to enter or leave the airport at this time, the sign pleaded. Once the weather in the Fort Lauderdale region improves, airport operations will resume, it said.
The severe downpours in South Florida also halted the region’s high-speed commuter rail service. On Wednesday night, Brightline announced on Twitter that it will be suspending operations between Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding districts of Hollywood and Dania Beach were placed under a flash flood emergency at 8 p.m. on Wednesday by the National Weather Service in Miami. The surrounding cities of Davie, Plantation, and Lauderhill were issued a tornado warning not long after.
Below we have provided you links related to how many people lost life because of the flood:
- California Facing High Flood Risk as 11th Atmospheric River Storm Approaches
- 2 Dead and Nearly 10,000 Under Evacuation Orders Flood in California Roads Washed Out
Witnesses filmed water pouring inside the terminal and a “river” of water streaming down the tarmac in between the planes. At rush hour, a man was spotted swimming to the curb from the middle of a flooded section of Broward Boulevard.
Some motorists filmed themselves driving through neighborhoods flooded with murky, churning water that reached their vehicles’ wheel wells or came close to cresting their hoods.
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