FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The storm on Wednesday felt like a nightmarish déjà vu for Geeta Rigdon and other Fort Lauderdale residents who are barely recovering from one flood to deal with another.
There were pump trucks at work in the Edgewood neighborhood, yet it looked like a river swallowed the pavement and grass in Southwest 17 Avenue at 37 Court.
“We went through this last year in April and they did a lot of construction in our area, so I was not expecting this to happen again,” Rigdon said about flooding mitigation projects.
The record rainfall totals in April 2023 ranged from 15 to 26 inches. Rigdon said the flood damage restoration last year took about six months. She had a long to-do list. It included hiring contractors and a licensed electrical contractor.
“The entire street, one year ago, everyone had to break the inside of their houses, and remove walls, and all the items were on the street. We had to throw everything out,” Rigdon said.
The National Weather Service estimated that from Tuesday to Wednesday there were about 20 inches of rain in some areas of South Florida. Fort Lauderdale had up to nine inches of rain in some areas on Wednesday after getting three inches on Tuesday.
Rigdon and her family had to evacuate their home and find refuge in a hotel on Wednesday night.
“We put my car on sandbags and we totally had to leave because it got dangerous,” Rigdon said.
Rigdon’s property wasn’t damaged, but she was among the residents bracing for more rain on Thursday and Friday.
City officials reported the stormwater system was operational, but since the groundwater capacity was reduced the fear is additional rainfall may accumulate faster.
“This is days and days of rain,” Rigdon said.
In a statement, city officials warned pump trucks or temporary pumps aren’t effective when discharge points exceed capacity. They also asked residents to stay off the road and avoid driving through high water.
Aside from Edgewood, the flooding also impacted areas of River Oaks, Durrs & Dorsey Riverbend, Isles, Victoria Park, Shady Banks, Chula Vista, Melrose Manors, Riverland Civic, Middle River Terrace, and Sunrise Intercoastal.
At the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, the flooding prompted the closure of several taxiway closures. There were dozens of commercial flight delays and cancellations.
Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade, and Sarasota counties.
Fort Lauderdale officials asked residents to report impassable roads at 954-828-8000, or via e-mail at cservice@fortlauderdale.gov.
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