MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade County is preparing for possible severe flooding that could come as early as Sunday due to a tropical wave heading toward South Florida.
The county has already experienced rain in the past couple days, so the soil is already saturated which could make the flooding worse.
Authorities are especially concerned about the storm because flooding will definitely lead to standing water -- a prime breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Because of Zika virus concerns, county officials are urging residents to drain standing water after rain and cover areas that could collect water and attract mosquitoes.
Officials said it takes four days for mosquitoes to start breeding. The county's mosquito control team has already sprayed 60,000 storm drains to rid the area of Zika virus-carrying mosquitoes.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said the county is ready to do even more to attack the mosquito problem once the storm passes.
"All of the drains are being treated now with larvicide, and we will continue to treat all of the drains with larvicide, and that will kill any larvae for 30 days," he said. "We will go into the community and if there is standing water where we feel there may be a right mosquito-breeding area, we will treat those areas."
Residents with concerns about flooding or the Zika virus can call the county hotline at 311.
To stay up to date on the all the latest storm news, download the Max Tracker app for iOS and ANDROID and download a copy of the Local 10 Hurricane Survival Guide to make sure you're ready for a storm.
