DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Crews are cleaning up a big mess hours after heavy downpours brought a flood of trouble to parts of South Florida, catching many residents off guard as they turned roadways into rivers and stalled out vehicles.
The Sunday soaker flooded streets in parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties during the overnight hours. Forecasters said about five inches of rain fell in a short amount of time just before midnight.
Just after 6 a.m. on Monday, 7News cameras captured standing water in a residential neighborhood along Southeast Seventh Avenue, near Third Street, as well as stalled cars along the roadways.
There were multiple reports of stalled cars in Deerfield Beach, including several vehicles along U.S. 1 and and Northeast 54th Street.
Hours later, crews were seen cleaning out flood damage at David Evanofsky’s home along Southeast Seventh Avenue.
“I got two inches of water through the entire house,” said the homeowner.
Just down the street, residents assessed the damage and debris from the storm that left part of the neighborhood under water.
“Most rain I’ve ever seen here. It seemed like three hours of nonstop rain — heavy, heavy,” said area resident Willie Abreau.
Abreau, who has lived in this neighborhood since 1992, says water has never reached his house and he’s never seen rain leave such a mess on roadways.
“This pile here came from down the street. It wasn’t even really here. Most of it came floating over here, along with a bunch of other debris all shoved up under my truck,” he said.
A nearby rain gauge picked up more than six inches of rain that comes down in a short amount of time, resulting in knee-high water along Southeast Sixth Avenue.
In true South Florida fashion, some neighbors were seen getting out their kayaks in Deerfield Beach. late Sunday night.
“Unbelievable. I’ve lived here my whole life. Never in my life have I seen this,” said a woman.
The flooding led to several rescues as well, including one near Mizner Park in Boca Raton. Good Samaritans were seen rescuing an elderly man who was trapped in his car.
According to a Facebook post, the elderly man was stuck in his vehicle with water up to his chest, but thankfully the good Samaritans were there to get him to safety.
On Monday, 7News spoke to Thomas Ruzzano who helped the elderly man escape from the flooded car.
“His car was completely flooded. He was almost [chest] high up with water and he was struggling to get the seatbelt off and to open up the door to get out,” he said.
While the group of good Samaritans got the man to safety, Ruzzano said the man was far from the only driver in trouble.
“We saw about 10 to 15 cars all backed up, flooded,” he said.
Back in Deerfield Beach, the unexpected flooding left many residents upset and frustrated after, they said, the city recently completed a major drainage overhaul project intended to mitigate flooding.
“I saw no flow in the drains. I went out there and videotaped it, but there was no flow; the water was not receding,” said Evanofsky.
“We’re mad. They tore the whole neighborhood, and we had to go through that, and it still didn’t work,” said Laura Evanofsky.
One man, who spoke to 7News, said he couldn’t find his car on Monday morning after leaving it on Sunday due to the flooding.
Most of the floodwaters in that Deerfield Beach neighborhood have since receded, but localized flooding lingers in the region.
The City of Deerfield Beach responded to residents’ concerns in a lengthy statement that reads in part:
“The City’s Engineering and Environmental Services teams are conducting a thorough review of the design, construction, maintenance, and performance of the drainage system in this zone.”
Officials go on to say that they are reviewing whether there was any problem with the system’s construction, whether there was too much rainfall or extra debris. They also said they are currently monitoring the water levels.
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