POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Heavy rains and strong winds from a tropical system that made its way across Florida wreaked havoc in Broward County, leaving some residents literally picking up the pieces.
Sudden wind gusts caused a tree to fall on a mobile home near McNab Road and Dixie Highway in Pompano Beach, early Saturday morning.
For Jovanna Hernandez and her loved ones who were inside at the time, it was a frightening close call.
“The tree fell so quick, she didn’t get a chance to close the door in the back,” she said. “I was inside with my baby. We were in the front, and then we heard like the house started shaking, and then we heard this big crash.”
Hernandez and her family went out to see what was the cause of the deafening noise.
“We came running in the back, and my mom came inside screaming ’cause she was scared,” she said.
Tree limbs crushed metal walls and windows, leaving the family without a home.
Hernandez’s trailer was far from the only structure deemed unsafe in the wake of the inclement weather.
Officials with the City of Coral Springs said a six-unit apartment building along the 7800 block of Northwest 39th Court was evacuated due to the heavy rains.
Cellphone video captured rainwater dripping from a large crack in the ceiling inside one of the units.
Officials said all of the residents have found temporary housing with family or friends for the time being.
Out on the roadways, Broward drivers encountered floodwaters and stalled cars.
7News cameras captured vehicles slowly making their way near Northeast Sixth Avenue and Prospect Road in Oakland Park, as drivers who ignored signage alerting them not to enter sent waves into nearby businesses.
Further west in Tamarac, homes along Northwest 50th Street were surrounded by standing water.
“It’s like this every year. It’s not as bad as it used to be in the past years, but it’s still bad enough,” said a woman who lives in the area.
Cars broke down in a Hollywood neighborhood, as sandbags lined nearby homes and residents waited for the flooding to recede.
Back in Pompano Beach, Hernandez said she’s thankful she and her family are together as they figure out their next step.
“Something like that to happen so close, [my mother] is inside with her grandson just appreciating life again,” she said.
It’s unclear where the family will be sleeping on Saturday night.
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