Photos and videos taken during a hurricane in Florida’s coastal districts show flooded buildings, overloaded highways, and parking lots under water. The storm has so far poured more than 25 inches of rain there.
According to Ana Torres-Vasquez, a meteorologist with the Weather Service, the rainfall in the Fort Lauderdale region was a “1-in-1,000-year event or more”—meaning the possibility of it occuring in any given year is just 0.1%.
Good news! Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Int'l Airport (FLL) is open with operations starting at 9am Friday. Looks like there is still significant flooding, but the runways are mostly clear. More storms possible after 3pm. pic.twitter.com/B8cnpnMwXm
— Brandon Orr (@BrandonOrrWPLG) April 14, 2023
First look at flooding at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Airport remains closed through at least noon today. pic.twitter.com/u1Ed1rpzVC
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) April 13, 2023
Downtown Fort Lauderdale flooding pic.twitter.com/1a7fmLXz8z
— Florida Drone Cleaning LLC DOUGLAS THRON (@douglasthron777) April 13, 2023
Downtown Fort Lauderdale flooding off Los Olas right now looks like a giant river. pic.twitter.com/edIJS1w5U0
— Florida Drone Cleaning LLC DOUGLAS THRON (@douglasthron777) April 13, 2023
According to AccuWeather, Fort Lauderdale received 25.95 inches of rain over the past two days, while adjacent Dania Beach received 21.42 inches. In just six hours, 20 inches of rain fell in some places. The rain total in Hollywood and South Miami was at least nine inches.
“Roads that were passable earlier today are flooded again. We strongly urge everyone to stay off the roads, if possible,” Fort Lauderdale city officials stated a warning.
Also Read| Indiana schools bomb threat: What did the email, in Arabic, to about 40 institutions say?
The city reported that 600 citizens were in emergency shelters Thursday night, where they had access to food, lodging, and other necessities.
The effects of the storm have also led Broward County Public Schools to postpone school for a second straight day on Friday.
On Thursday, crews in the Fort Lauderdale metro area worked to clean drains and place pumps where they could to assist lessen the effects of flooding in addition to responding to hundreds of rescue calls.
In order to provide more resources to workers and locals on the ground, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for Broward County.
Also Read| Is Indiana schools bomb threat credible? About 40 institutions affected because of email
According to preliminary data from the National Weather Service office in Miami, the city of Fort Lauderdale, which has a population of close to 200,000, received 25.91 inches of precipitation in a 24-hour period between Wednesday and Thursday.
According to the weather service in Miami, the area with the deepest standing water on Thursday was the Edgewood neighborhood to the north of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, where a still water mark of little more than 3 feet was found close to Floyd Hull Stadium.
