LAUDERHILL, FLA. (WSVN) - The heavy downpours that drenched South Florida over the weekend have left residents dealing with extensive flooding in parts of Broward County and even caused a ceiling to collapse in Miami.
Meteorologists said the soggy weather is not going away anytime soon, despite a break in rainfall in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, Monday afternoon.
Parts of Broward were so flooded that residents said it felt like a hurricane had swept across the area.
“It’s scary because you can’t get out of the house,” said Lauderhill resident Feca Ball.
In stretches of Lauderhill, driveways looked more like boat ramps, and residential streets in Sunrise spent the better part of the morning underwater.
“Every time it’s raining, it’s always flooded,” said area resident Ashley Louis.
Louis said the water gets so high, sometimes they can’t even leave their homes.
“It’s aggravating sometimes … We have to walk out and, like, it comes up on the path when we try to go to school,” she said.
A photo sent in by a 7News viewer showed a surfer taking the rise in floodwaters in stride, as he paddled around Hallandale Beach.
7News viewers sent in pictures of cars stuck in the high waters and damaged roads.
In Downtown Fort Lauderdale, crews tended to a water main break along Broward Boulevard that reduced traffic flow to one lane in each direction. A precautionary boil water notice remains in effect for the affected area.
It was a busy day in Davie, as crews used pumps in an attempt to remove floodwaters from the parking lot of a busy shopping plaza.
The incessant rainfall brought more than eight inches of rain to Tamarac and Coral Springs on Sunday, as well as more than seven inches of rain to Hollywood, Parkland and Plantation.
Meanwhile, in Miami, a home’s leaky roof gave in early Sunday morning, causing part of the house’s ceiling to come crashing down.
The woman who lives in the home with her children, who asked not to be identified or show her face on camera, said she heard a loud noise.
“We heard something collapse, and when we turned around, the whole ceiling had caved in,” she said.
The deafening noise was followed by debris, then rainwater falling over the woman and her loved ones.
“When we turned around, we heard a big boom. It hit the TV first, and then everything else just fell out,” she said. “We had to drag everything out of the room.”
Fortunately, no one was hurt.
As the leak got worse, she knew it wasn’t safe anymore. “My babies are the first thing that came to my mind,” she said.
However, when the other bedroom’s ceiling started to crack, it was time for the family to go.
“Yes, it’s still leaking, and we’re in a hotel now,” said the woman.
Sunday morning’s collapse took place in a neighborhood where residents still have tarps up from the 2017 hurricane season.
For many in South Florida, this is the hardest hitting weather since Hurricane Irma back in September.
Monday afternoon, strong thunderstorms began making their way across the Florida Keys.
The flooding caused construction delays in a baseball complex in Sunrise. 7News cameras captured a truck used by crews in the standing water.
Aerial video of the baseball field made it resemble a lake.
In Plantation Acres, homes were not flooded, but the backyards looked like swamps.
A football field at American Heritage School was also flooded.
“It was like Armageddon,” said area resident Ray Colmenares. “It just wouldn’t stop raining. It was an onslaught.”
Light rain fell in parts of Miami earlier on Monday.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Center is closely examining an area of low pressure that stretches from the Florida Panhandle to the Caribbean Sea. Meteorologists expect a tropical system to develop over the Gulf of Mexico over the next five days.
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