SUNRISE, FLA. (WSVN) - Residents in parts of Broward and Miami-Dade County woke up to yet another day of flooding, after another round of heavy rainfall rolled through, Thursday.
Cars could be seen struggling to make it through the streets, Thursday afternoon, and residents in Sunrise aren’t expecting the water to subside anytime soon.
“This water will be here this time next week,” said Dick Postlewaite, a Davie resident whose house is flooded. “There’s no place for it to go.”
Postlewaite said he’s lost thousands of dollars in this latest flooding, but this happened to him 19 years ago. “The Town of Davie and the flood control district has been sitting on their butts and they haven’t done a damn thing,” Postlewaite said.
David Perez needed to hitch a ride to work because his small car wasn’t going to make it through the unpredictable water.
“We’ve had lots of hurricanes, as you know, in South Florida and it’s never been this bad,” Perez said. “I have a small car, a sedan, as well, so high risks. I went through it and, as I’m pulling into my house, I could hear the car going ‘duh-dunt, duh-dunt,’ and I’m like, ‘Aw, here we go.'”
A flood watch was extended for Broward and Miami-Dade counties until 2 a.m., Thursday, after heavy rains hit South Florida for several days, causing flooding, travel delays and closures.
Residents from Paradise Village in Davie are still battling standing water from Tuesday’s flooding on top of Wednesday’s.
“Can’t tell the lake from the road,” said resident Deborah Ring. “So, I mean, it’s really scary.”
The American Red Cross, set up a reception center on Southwest Fifth Court near 134th Terrace in Davie in effort to help residents left without power.
“People with disabilities, elderly people, or young families with children, or families with children. Those are usually the most vulnerable,” said Roberto Baltodano of Red Cross South Florida.
Some residents used sandbags to keep the water out of their homes. “We have water inside our garage at least two inches deep,” said a homeowner. “It came all the way up to the sandbags there.”
“We understand that everyone is flooded, but we’re really just trying to get some answers,” he said. “Who needs to come out here to help us reduce this flood?”
There are currently no reports of floods forcing residents out of their homes, according to the ARC.
A farm located in Plantation Acres is also flooded, causing major issues with the livestock on the property.
“We’re flooded, I would say at the lowest point, a foot, but the highest about four feet,” said horse owner Dana Doty.
The horses’ stalls are all underwater, and the hay and grains used to feed them are ruined, Doty said. They’re able to stay at the Plantation Equestrian Center for a fee.
In Coral Springs, pumps are hard at work to remove the water.
However, violent thunderstorms and constant flooding plague Miami-Dade.
In Brickell, crews worked, Wednesday, to pump flood water from Ninth Street and First Avenue. Crews working on the scene said that water in the streets can hinder traffic.
“We got three pumps that are pumping the water from Ninth Street to First Avenue,” said an official at the scene. “We had this system set up all morning.”
Sawgrass Mills Mall remains closed for a second day in a row, Thursday, after flood waters submerged cars in the parking lot.
Zoo Miami also closed its doors in the middle of the day due to the harsh weather, but has since reopened.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Miami International Airports saw many flight cancelations and delays. As of 4 p.m. Thursday, there were 15 delays and 12 cancellations at MIA, and 81 delays and 12 cancellations at FLL.
According to Florida Power and Light, as of 3:50 p.m., Thursday, 876 Broward residents and 1,191 Miami-Dade residents were without power.
The baseball field at American Heritage High School was completely submerged underwater.
Some families are keeping their children at home instead of wading in the waters to school.
“Do you blame them? No,” said a school bus driver. “It’s really not safe.”
“It’s never been this high, no,” said a Broward resident. “Never been this high.”
“I just see a river. That’s what this looks like, a river. It does not look like a street,” said another resident.
One man is grateful to his late wife who insisted they build their house high above ground. “She says, ‘Nope, we’re spending the money on fill, we’re gonna be high enough that we’re never gonna have to worry about it,” he said. “She was absolutely right.”
“We have water inside our garage at least two inches deep,” said a homeowner. “It came all the way up to the sandbags there.”
There are over 50 families in Broward who could use assistance in combatting the flood, according to the American Red Cross. The ARC set up a location at 13000 SW 5th Court in Davie for those who wish to contribute.
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