MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - Nearly 50 schools across South Florida had to cancel in-person classes Tuesday due to flooding and power problems they’re facing in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Eta.
Public schools in Miami-Dade County are mostly dealing with flooding, but schools in Broward County are facing both flooding, electricity issues and more, prompting them to keep students at home.
“It seems that 2020 continues to bring us surprises,” said Miami-Dade County Public Schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho.
At least 17 schools in Miami-Dade were affected by the flooding, with most of them in the northern part of the county.
“Even though we cannot report any significant damage to any one of our schools, there were disruptions in our community,” Carvalho said. “The schools themselves, with very few exceptions, were not flooded, but the neighborhoods around the schools were.”
The flooding made getting to school a challenge for students and staff.
Schools closed included American Senior High in Hialeah, Barbara Goleman Senior High in Miami Lakes, and Carol City Senior High and Lake Stevens Elementary and Middle Schools in Miami Gardens.
About 7,000 students in Miami-Dade shifted to online learning.
In Broward County, 23 schools did the same. The situation in that area was more severe with reports of flooding and roof leaks.
Some schools were left without air conditioning, while others lost power.
Plenty of water is still sitting at Silver Trail Middle School in Southwest Ranches, which was closed along with Silver Palms Elementary in Pembroke Pines.
And West Broward High School looks like it’s sitting on lakefront property, with the whole campus completely soaked.
While it may be days before some students in Broward are able to return to class, Miami-Dade is expecting all schools to reopen Thursday.
“The fact that tomorrow is a holiday gives us additional time for us to reinspect schools, but based on the assessments we got yesterday and based on additional inspections we got today, I am very confident that when we return Thursday, all school sites will reopen, and we will have a regular school day. We expect it to be a regular, fantastic school day, and we appreciate the hard work of our team members and the patience of parents and students and our staff,” Carvalho said.
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