Miami, Apr 13 (EFE).- The rains gave a breather to the flooded southeast of Florida this Thursday, but only in the first half of the day, as the rainfall returned in the afternoon, albeit intermittently, while the effects of the historic storm that hit Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday.
A flood alert remains in effect for the coastal and metropolitan counties of Broward and Miami-Dade until 8:00 p.m. local time (01:00 GMT on Friday), a threat and situation that led Governor Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency on Thursday. in Broward County, where Fort Lauderdale is located.
In that city, about 40 kilometers north of Miami, the rainfall that fell in 24 hours has established a mark of 65 centimeters that experts cited by the media consider “historic”, with images of drivers stranded in their cars, trapped, and even home evacuations.
The previous record was 59 centimeters and was broken in 1980 in Key West, in the Florida Keys, reports Local 10 on local television.
In addition, classes in Broward will also remain suspended on Friday and schools closed, after torrential rains that sowed chaos and have left at least $2 million in damage to schools in this county, according to local media.
Not only has it rained all day in Broward counties, to which Fort Lauderdale belongs, and Miami-Dade, hail has also fallen and there have been gusty winds throughout the area affected since last Sunday by an almost stationary rain front.
In addition, two tornadoes occurred in Broward on Wednesday, which caused no damage, according to the US Weather Service.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, one of the busiest in Florida, had to be closed on Thursday due to flooding caused by heavy rains in the area and will not reopen until early Friday, if conditions weather permitting.
Images released by local media show the access roads and runways of the aforementioned airport flooded, with people trapped in the terminals and semi-submerged vehicles in the vicinity due to the high level of water.
More than 43.18 centimeters fell this Thursday in the airport area, according to local media.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) said in a statement Thursday that rainfall totals of 4-8 inches (10-20 centimeters) have been recorded over southeast Broward and northwest Miami-Dade. , with the Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area as the most affected area with much higher numbers.
AN ALMOST STATIONARY FRONT SINCE SUNDAY
The rains began on Sunday in South Florida and continued through Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
In a message on Twitter, the Fort Lauderdale airport authorities indicated that “due to the volume of water and debris existing on the airport grounds,” the reopening was delayed to allow time to have at least one of the runways ready for tomorrow.
The airport’s website, located about 35 kilometers north of Miami, shows that all departure flights scheduled for Thursday were canceled or diverted to other airports, and the same is true of arrivals.
In 2022, 31,686,404 passengers passed through this airport, where many low-cost companies operate, according to its website.
Television channels broadcast images of entire neighborhoods with flooded low-lying areas and numerous stranded vehicles in both Broward and Miami-Dade.
“This storm has highlighted the importance of continuing our efforts to address climate resiliency and improve critical infrastructure,” Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said during a press conference Thursday.
The municipality has invested 200 million dollars in a 5-year plan focused “on the construction of levees and the improvement of flood and stormwater control systems in low-lying areas,” he added.
The mayor pointed out that it was a storm that occurs “one every thousand years” and that the damage is being assessed before requesting help from Florida and national authorities.
In the city of Dania Beach, also in Broward County, authorities also declared a state of emergency due to flooding.
Florida Department of Transportation personnel were on Thursday pumping out water in flooded areas, such as the New River Tunnel, and helping open closed roads to traffic and repair traffic signals and signals, according to a statement.
