FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — As excessive rain and flooding continues to pile up in South Florida, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis declared a state of emergency on Wednesday afternoon.
The severe weather has prompted a flash flood emergency and turned major roadways into rivers as a slow-moving storm inundated South Florida.
The heavy downpour has caused over hundreds of delays at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport.
Major roads like Broward Boulevard and Federal Highway near downtown Fort Lauderdale are experiencing high water levels, according to the mayor.
Torrential downpours created a flood of trouble for drivers in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday afternoon.
Waters rose nearly shin high for people walking along Southwest 13th and 14th Streets in the Riverland Village area of west Fort Lauderdale.
Rising waters left a car stalled along Southwest 31st Avenue, with others slowly making their way through the rising water.
Several inches of standing floodwater continued to get closer to homes in the residential area.
Trantalis spoke to Local 10 News on Wednesday evening and urged people to stay indoors.
“I see where some of our neighborhoods, such as River Oaks and Edgewood, are still experiencing heavy rain. Fortunately, Edgewood was looking pretty dry as of two hours ago. At River Oaks, not as much. Citrus Isles is also heavily flooded and the downtown seems to be pretty dry approaching Las Olas Boulevard and Southeast Third Avenue. Everybody seems to be leaving for work from work early, and our streets are just completely jam-packed, which is not good because it’s going to prevent our emergency vehicles from getting around. So please, if you’re already home stay home, we need to clear our streets from vehicular traffic. Because as I understand we’re going to be seeing another band of rain coming through.”
Trantalis also said high-water vehicles have been strategically deployed throughout the city of Fort Lauderdale and are prepared to respond as needed.
Closures and Cancellations
According to Trantalis, city of Fort Lauderdale administrative offices and I-95 Southbound at Oakland Park Boulevard are closed.
All city board and committee meetings, as well as Parks activities, are also canceled for Wednesday.
Transportation and Parking
City garages are available for short-term parking without charge until 5 p.m. on Thursday.
The severe weather in the area has caused at over 150 cancellations and over 250 flight delays, as of Wednesday evening, according to Flightaware.com.
Local 10 News also heard from Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper, who spoke about the widespread flooding in her city.
You can listen to her interview in the video below.
Read the proclamation of the state of emergency here:
Related media
Upon signing this emergency declaration, I spoke with Kevin Guthrie, the state Director of Emergency Management, who has pledged to allocate any available resources from his agency to assist in our recovery efforts. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission will also be sending… pic.twitter.com/adJeLUGwFi
— Mayor Dean J. Trantalis (@DeanTrantalis) June 12, 2024
Due to ongoing heavy rainfall, several roadways throughout the City of Fort Lauderdale, including major thoroughfares like Broward Boulevard and Federal Highway near downtown, are experiencing high water levels.
— Mayor Dean J. Trantalis (@DeanTrantalis) June 12, 2024
I am currently in the process of declaring a State of Emergency for… pic.twitter.com/lff46Uixxj
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