DAVIE, Fla. – Areas impacted by the worst flooding this week can expect some relief over the next day.
According to Armando Vilaboy, a regional representative for the South Florida Water Management District, officials were expecting Wednesday’s rain event, but its magnitude did catch people off guard.
Officials said canals and pumps worked normally and no issues were encountered, and that much of the worst flooding came in low-lying areas in coastal communities.
There is a limit to what municipal drainage systems can handle, with a normal capacity of around five inches of rain.
The amount of rain in several areas of Broward County far exceeded that number.
“Those systems aren’t built to handle 13 inches,” said Vilaboy. “No municipal systems really are, outside of canal systems.”
Some of the worst flooding occurred in areas far away from the district canal systems, making drainage that much more difficult.
Vilaboy said flooding in those areas should begin to gradually subside in the next 24 hours, particularly during low tide.
Meanwhile, the SFWMD is lowering the levels in its canal system.