South Florida roads, communities fighting flood waters from king tides

MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Roads and communities in South Florida are fighting rising waters as king tides flood several low-lying areas.

Parts of Indian Creek Drive near 34th Street in Miami Beach were under water during Monday’s morning commute.

The water covered sidewalks and seeped past sand bags that were stacked along the seawall.

City of Fort Lauderdale Public Works Assistant Director Dr. Nancy Gassman said, “You can predict the timing of the tide, but you can’t predict exactly the elevation.”

King tides happen regularly in the spring and fall. In Southeast Florida, the highest tides of the year happen during the fall. Therefore, all coastal areas of South Florida remain under a high tide alert through midweek.

The tides are caused by the new moon phase of the lunar cycle. The gravitational pull with the moon allows these tides to run up to one foot above average. A strong westward wind has also caused the tides to rise higher than normal, and wind speeds in Miami reached a steady 15 mph around 4 p.m.

Drivers along Northeast 79th Street and 10th Avenue in Miami could be seen making their way through flooded neighborhoods. Emergency pumps were on standby in case the water levels rose.

At nearby Pelican Harbor Marina, higher than normal water levels did not stop boaters at the dock.

7Skyforce HD captured water pumps cranking along flooded streets in Hollywood and Dania Beach.

In Fort Lauderdale, commuters navigated flooded streets, as they tried to get home.

Fort Lauderdale resident Brad Waugh could be seen walking his dog before the tide came in.

“Essentially all the way down towards Seventh Street, it flows in everywhere,” Waugh said. “We can get anywhere from six inches to three feet of water. Nobody can drive in and out of the neighborhood. Houses can’t be worked on by personnel, and it lasts about six hours, and it’s twice a day.”

7News cameras captured ankle-deep water at Southeast 11th Court and Cordova Road at around 11 p.m.

Gassman said they are prepared for the rising tides for this season and the next.

“We’ve installed 165 tidal valves,” she said. “Those are one-way valves that prevent the ocean from coming up the storm drain system, and we also have a number of larger projects that we will be moving forward on soon to raise seawalls and to install additional infrastructure like pipes, catch basins and pumps in order to address these issues moving forward.”

Miami Beach Public Works crews spent Monday afternoon trying to alleviate standing water by clearing drains before the tide rises again at night.

Crews said they are prepared to mitigate those standing waters by using pump stations and other drainage alleviation devices.

Officials expect the king tides cycles to last through November.

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