South Florida downpours leave many stranded, airport shut | See Pics
Parts of South Florida began cleaning up April 13 after the unprecedented storm that trapped Valentine and other motorists dumped upward of 2 feet (60 centimetres) of rain in a matter of hours, caused widespread flooding, closed a key airport and turned thoroughfares into rivers. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.
Parts of South Florida began cleaning up April 13 after the unprecedented storm that trapped Valentine and other motorists dumped upward of 2 feet (60 centimetres) of rain in a matter of hours, caused widespread flooding, closed a key airport and turned thoroughfares into rivers. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths. (Image: AFP)
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Residents still waded through knee-high water or used canoes and kayaks to navigate the streets on April 13 in Fort Lauderdale's Edgewood neighbourhood, where window screen installer Dennis Vasquez towed some of his neighbour’s belongings on an inflatable mattress to a car on dry land. He himself lost all of his possessions when water rose chest-high in his house on April 12 night. (Image: AP)
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In Broward County, where rains started April 10 before the heaviest rains arrived on April 12 afternoon, crews worked on April 13 to clear drains and fire up pumps to clear standing water. (Image: AP)
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Fort Lauderdale issued a state of emergency as flooding persisted in parts of the city. Crews worked through the night to attend rescue calls. Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport, which closed on April 12 evening, said it would not reopen until 5 a.m. on April 14 because of debris and flooding. (Image: AP)
Enough water had drained by early on April 13 to allow people to drive on the upper level — or departures — road to pick up waiting passengers. But the entrance to the lower-level, or arrivals, road remained closed. (Image: AP)
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Airlines were forced to cancel or change flights to and from the airport. Southwest cancelled about 50 departures through April 14 morning, and the number could grow, a spokeswoman said. The airline is letting customers rebook on flights to and from Miami and Palm Beach at no additional charge, she said. (Image: AP)
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Frontier Airlines moved two flights from Fort Lauderdale to Miami but cancelled about 15 other round trips, a spokeswoman said. Allegiant Air also cancelled some flights and rerouted others to the Tampa, Orlando and Punta Gorda areas. More than 650 flights were cancelled at Fort Lauderdale on April 13, according to FlightAware. (Image: AFp)
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Broward County schools initially cancelled classes on April 13, including after-school and extracurricular activities, after water flooded hallways and classrooms at some schools. Officials announced in the evening that schools would remain closed on April 14. Service was restored on South Florida’s high-speed commuter rail, Brightline, after it briefly shut down on April 12 evening. (Image: AP)
The Red Cross set up a staging area to help residents whose homes were flooded, providing them with blankets and coffee, officials said. Fort Lauderdale City Hall remained closed on April 13 with ground-floor flooding and no power. A tunnel carrying U.S. Route 1 under a river and a major street in downtown Fort Lauderdale was also closed, along with some ramps to Interstate 95. ()Image: AFP
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Shawn Bhatti, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami, said the region received “an unprecedented amount” of rain. The weather service was still confirming totals, but some gauges showed up to 25 inches (63.5 centimeters) of rainfall. “For context, within a six-hour period the amount that fell is about a 1 in 1,000 chance of happening within a given year,” Bhatti said. “So it’s a very historical type of event.” (Image: AP)
