PLANTATION, Fla. – The pumps in Plantation Acres have been working around-the-clock to push rainwater off the flooded streets and into Broward County’s complex system of canals.
"The last thing we want is a failure right now," Angel Alvarez, Plantation Acres Improvement District manager, said. "This is canal station No. 5. We have six of these and they are each 1 mile long."
When the water is pumped in, it water goes underneath the roadway through this pump and into a canal.
Alvarez said he can pull down 12 miles of canal water 3 inches a day, but South Florida is getting far more rain than he is able to pump.
All six pumps turn on and off automatically to keep the canal at 4 feet but they are all 2 - 3 feet over that mark.
"We have overridden the shut off. We have them on full blast. No turning off until this is all done," Alvarez said.
Meanwhile in western Davie, where many residents remain under water, the misery continues.
Central Broward District manager Michael Crowley said he hasn't seen flooding like this since Hurricane Irene and the no-name storm of 2000 -- but this system is even more aggressive.
"Those were 100 -ear storm events but they were spread out between three days. There were 16 inches spread out in three days where here we are looking at 11 inches within a 24-hour period," Crowley said.
Both managers said it will take two to three days with no rain to get the canals back to normal.
The only downside is that more rain is expected for the next six to seven days.
"It is not good news but we are ready," Alvarez said.