Flooded Fort Lauderdale hit with 30% of annual rainfall in just one week

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Streets are looking more like lakes in many areas of Broward County, making it hard for people to get into and out of their homes.

To give some perspective, officials with the City of Fort Lauderdale say 30% of the annual rainfall they were expecting in 2020 came down within the past week.

And a flood watch remains in effect in coastal areas until 8 p.m.

Resident Destiny George and her family were planning to donate some of the clothes in her garage people in need in Haiti, but now those clothes are contaminated.

“Our boxes fell,” she said. “They got wet and we had to throw 'em away.”

The water in her Fort Lauderdale neighborhood was up to her ankles Monday morning following heavy rain this weekend.

“It was kind of scary,” she said. “I thought it was going to flood inside the house.”

Rosetta Dunham, who lives nearby, had to drive around and around trying to find a way to get to her house on Evanston Circle.

“It’s flooded and I’m having trouble getting in and out. Even my neighbor called me yesterday and asked me did I have a boat she could borrow,” she said with a laugh.

It was flooded elsewhere in Broward County, too.

Cars drove through high water on U.S. 441 and Oaks Road in Davie. There was a similar scene on NW 10th Court and NW 43rd Avenue in Lauderhill.

Fort Lauderdale is working to pump the water out of severely impacted areas in the city, but it could take days for the water to recede.

“I guess the drainage system needs to be taken care of, cause I never seen it like this before,” Dunham said.

Another resident Local 10 spoke to had to rescue her nephew, after his car stalled out in floodwaters.

She and her pickup truck had to push his vehicle out of the water.

“He thought he could make it,” said Annie Ray. “It did not work.”