FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue set up specialized training to be better prepared for future flooding brought on by heavy rainfall.
Speaking with 7News on Thursday, FLFR Chief Stephen Gollan said this week’s training exercises are critical, with this weekend marking two years since more than two feet of rain in parts of Fort Lauderdale.
“Those that were here that day remember that around noon it started raining, and it just didn’t stop,” Gollan said.
Hundreds had to be rescued on what was the rainiest day in Fort Lauderdale’s history.
“That night and that morning, we were able to make over 900 rescues,” Gollan said.
Kitty McGowan was one of those residents rescued by firefighters.
“Two years ago, we were being evacuated on a swamp buggy,” she said.
Firefighters have spent the week performing rescues in water to simulate flooding conditions, as well as modifying equipment that was no longer in service to be retrofitted for high-water rescues.
“Not only is it lifted up, but also, the radios inside are elevated as well,” Gollan said about the upgraded vehicles.
Firefighters were tested again just over a year after that, when 20 inches of water came down in June 2024.
“If it hadn’t stopped raining, I mean, the water was inches away from coming in,” McGowan said.
“The rains came and there was nowhere for the water to go,” another resident said.
The back-to-back years of extreme rainfall have given the fire department all the more reason to stay as prepared as possible, while residents hope all the training pays off.
“I do see responsiveness on the part of the city for residents. It’s still kind of a hold-your-breath kind of moment,” McGowan said.
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