Fort Lauderdale has completed a critical pump project aimed at fighting flooding in two low-lying neighborhoods.

Smoke billowed from a house in Fort Lauderdale’s flooded River Oaks neighborhood Thursday morning.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – There wasn’t much of a break in Fort Lauderdale Sunday as heavy rain continued throughout the day. The winds picked up and Tropical Storm Eta created a mess in neighborhoods like the Melrose Park Community, off Davie Boulevard, a flood prone area during storms. Fort Lauderdale Public Works crews were out all day, monitoring and pumping out storm drains so that the water didn’t get into people’s homes. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said things were made worse by ground that was saturated after weeks of rain. Trantalis said that with all of the unprecedented rainfall, there was no place for the water to drain as water levels had even risen in the canals.