MIAMI – Authorities warned residents to evacuate from “life-threatening flooding” in some of the state’s most populous areas as heavy rain lashed South Florida on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service in Miami urged residents to stay indoors, stay off roads and away from dangerously moving water.
Rains hamper air traffic in and out of the region. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport told travelers its entrances and exits were flooded. Dozens of departures were delayed or canceled due to Wednesday’s rain continued to fall.
The Florida Highway Patrol closed the area Wednesday afternoon Southern Interstate 95 in Broward County, officials said.
First responders rushed to stranded motorists Wednesday afternoon in Hollywood, near Fort Lauderdale.
“We’re getting calls from people who are stuck in their vehicles and have driven through flooded roads,” city spokeswoman Joan Hussey said. NBC South Florida.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean J. Drantalis signed a declaration of emergency for the city of 182,000 due to flooding. He told residents to stay off the roads and said the government had pledged to help, including sending boats.
Miami-Dade County Department of Emergency Management told the residents there: “Don’t drive unnecessarily and seek higher ground if necessary.” If the cars stop, the occupants must abandon the vehicle immediately to avoid being swept away, the company said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, cities and locations across the region had reported more than half a foot of rain in the past 48 hours: 11.28 inches at Fort Lauderdale Airport, 7.49 at Miami International Airport, 8 in Fort Myers and 7.74 in Sarasota. .
It has been raining continuously for hours and the pumps have become useless as the equipment has nowhere to direct the excess water.
“For how much water there is, the pumps don’t really have a lot of room for it [the water] Gotta go now,” Hussey said.
It rains in early June Hottest May on Record in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Naples.
Florida’s west coast received a record 8 inches of rain in just three hours.
Tuesday’s rain in Sarasota between 5pm and 8pm was extremely rare, expected only once every 500 to 1,000 years. The Tampa Bay area can generally expect 7.3 inches The whole month of June.
Robert Weil and Brian Hamacher from Miami and David K. from New York City.