MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Many services in Miami-Dade resumed Tuesday, but residents in various parts of the county remain in need of help a day after Tropical Storm Eta dumped more than a foot of rain in areas.
“My house is like really flooded. Like my kids' stuff was floating in water,” said Chantel Anderson, who lives in the Glorieta Gardens apartment complex in Opa-locka. “Shoes, my kids' school bookbags, all of that is like floating in the water, clothes all of that, look pillows, suitcases, water.”
Parts of downtown Miami and Brickell were also left severely flooded, and South Florida’s agriculture industry took a hit.
Farmers told Local 10 News they have to wait for it to dry out before they know how much of their crop is lost.
Thousands of homeowners were left desperate from Eta’s wrath, like one couple in northwest Miami-Dade that grabbed buckets Monday with hopes of stopping the rising waters in their backyard.
It didn’t help that there were more showers off and on Tuesday.
The Trump National Doral golf course was invaded with water and some roads were impassable at the warehouse district in Medley and other areas.
Miami Gardens resident Nick Thomas showed Local 10 the water inside his home.
“I’ve been here a long time and I’ve never seen this in (a) long time,” Thomas said.
People living in the LeJeune Gardens neighborhood said they’ve never seen flooding get as bad as after Eta. Some of the canals were even overflowing.
“I’m getting ready to move. Every time it rains, it’s like this,” one resident said.
Hialeah resident Daylen Llovet watched as each passing car pushed the floodwaters closer to her family’s home.
“The more cars that pass by, the more water comes in, and that’s scary because it’s right one step to the door,” she said.
Navigating flooded streets was a gamble for drivers who often didn’t know if they would make it to the other side until it was too late.
But some found creative ways to get around. We spotted people water skiing and on ATVs, boats and even flamingo inflatables.
“Life’s about floating around and swimming,” one man said. “Just keep swimming, man.”
Significant flooding was also spotted at the Hard Rock Stadium COVID-19 testing site in Miami Gardens, which looked more like a lake than a parking lot.
That testing site remains closed Tuesday.
The following services resumed Tuesday in Miami-Dade County:
- All government offices
- Miami-Dade Public Library System branches
- Miami-Dade County Parks
- Public transportation, although some Metrobus routes may still be impacted due to flooding.
- COVID-19 testing sites, including
These drive-through COVID-19 testing centers are open:
- Tropical Park
- Miami Beach Convention Center
- Amelia Earhart Park
These walk-up COVID-19 testing centers are open:
- Harris Field
- Caleb Center
- Salvation Army
- Sherbondy Park
Mobile testing vans will also be deployed, and in-home testing will resume.
The Marlins Park coronavirus testing center will reopen Wednesday.
For the most recent information on other testing site re-openings, visit miamidade.gov/covid-testing.