NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - South Florida residents are not wasting any time making plans and preparations as Hurricane Milton churns in the Gulf of Mexico.
Rain, flooding and wet streets continue to draw concerns across the region after the system strengthened into a tropical stom on Saturday afternoon and into a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday afternoon.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday declared a state of emergency in Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach counties, as South Florida could see serious flooding over the next few days, even before Milton crosses the state, most likely on Wednesday.
North Miami Beach Juan Juan Catanxaro was one of several cities that hosted sandbag distributions on Sunday.
Resident shared his concerns with 7News when he came to pick up sandbags at the North Miami Beach Fleet Maintenance Building.
“[I will be using sandbags] to be prepared for the water not to get inside our home,” he said. “We need to be prepared, in our business and also in our home.”
Over in Miami Gardens, another sandbag distribution took place in the parking garage of City Hall. 7News cameras captured colunteers putting sandbags into trunks of people’s vehicles.
“Yeah, cause I’ve seen what happened up north. I’m not going to play with this,” said a resident.
Resident Deborah Ethan is also taking precautions.
“Water has gotten into my house, yes, so that’s why I’m out here today,” she said.
A flood watch that took effect Sunday morning had Broward County residents filling up on sandbags and buying supplies throughout the day.
With Milton brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, the preparations are even more urgent. Linda Destasio’s neighborhood in Hollywood can get flooded easily, and the city spent weeks digging trenches to help move the water away. As the tropical storm approaches, the new system will be put to the test.
“I’m shaking already. I just went to get dog food; I’m getting ready to put my sandbags out now,” said Destasio. “There’s no drainage; there’s not a pitch on either level to say, ‘Go to this drain or go to that drain’.”
In Fort Lauderdale, pump trucks were already moving into the area, installing pumps as early as Saturday evening.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said they’ll have plenty on standby and they will probably need them.
“This past weekend we already had four inches of rain, so the ground is wet and probably saturated with water, so we’re very, very concerned about that,” he said.
Trantalis said DeSantis having declared a state of emergency is a crucial and helpful step.
“It allows us to suspend the rules that we normally live by,” he said. “Whether it be zoning, code enforcement, or police enforcement, it allows us to focus on the problems we have.”
Fort Lauderdale has set up sandbag distribution at Mills Pond Park and at Floyd Hall Stadium.
7News cameras captured sand being showeled and placed into bags at Mills Pond Park, Sunday afternoon.
“We’re worried about that storm out there,” said Fort Lauderdale City Commission Dr. Warren Sturman.
Residents in North Lauderdale picked up sandbags at Pompano Park.
Resident Joy Brown picked up six sandbags. Sje said she has dealth with water going into her home, something she is now trying to avoid.
“Coming in the house, water’s in the house,” she said. “I’m a homeowner, and once water gets in the house, you’re gonna have to fix it. It’s not cheap.”
Some residents still worry that even with sandbags, they will be dealing with terrible flooding like they’ve experienced over the last few years.
“We’ll be under water by Thursday,” one resident said.
For a full list of sandbag distribution locations across South Florida, click here.
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