FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Water was invading neighborhoods across Broward County Sunday into Monday morning due to Tropical Storm Eta.
The already saturated ground is overwhelmed and authorities in Fort Lauderdale say there is nowhere for it to go.
“The process is right now trying to pump out storm drains that may have been clogged,” Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said. “We already have a storm water system in place. As you know, we are continuing to rebuild our storm water systems throughout the city. But those that have already been in place, they’re overwhelmed by the amount of rain we’ve been getting the last four to six weeks.”
Eta created a mess in Fort Lauderdale with standing water measuring more than a foot in flood-prone areas. Some isolated areas saw about 2 feet of water.
The city of Fort Lauderdale tweeted a photo of the inside of the Riverwalk Center Garage on Southeast Second Street early Monday morning, which was completely flooded.
Local 10 News reporter Alexis Frazier was inside the garage as crews were working to pump the water out. She said there was about 2 feet worth of standing water.
Water also seeped into people’s lawns and driveways in the River Oaks neighborhood.
“It never used to be a flood zone. I’m tired of it – really tired of it,” one resident, Ivette, said.
WATCH: Live radar of Tropical Storm Eta.
Local 10 News reporter Jeff Weinsier checked out the scene in several Broward neighborhoods Monday morning and saw severe flooding in western Hollywood, Cooper City and Davie.
He visited one home off Griffin Road just west of Florida’s Turnpike that was entirely flooded.
He said areas that are normally cow pastures looked like lakes instead.
Eta also brought significant flooding to Sunrise. Local 10′s Jenise Fernandez was in the parking lot of a Home Depot near Sawgrass Mills, where fish from a nearby lake had made their way into the swamped parking lot.
Some cars were seen trying to enter the parking lot early Monday, but then turning around when they realized the water was just too deep.
On Sunday, side streets looked like rivers in the Melrose Park neighborhood, stranding residents inside of their homes.
Several tow trucks were called out due to disabled cars.
One tow truck driver said about 10 trucks were dispatched in the morning, helping out stalled drivers.
Public works crews are working around the clock, trying to clear out storm drains so that the standing water doesn’t seep into homes or businesses.
Check the Local 10 Weather Authority page for the latest updates on Tropical Storm Eta.