Widespread flooding occurred in Fort Lauderdale airport due to a rapid downpour of nearly 30 centimetres of rain in just a few hours.
This caused the city's airport to close and high-speed commuter rail service for the Broward County region to be suspended. The city advised residents and visitors to avoid driving until the water recedes.
“Police and Fire Rescue continue to answer calls for service,” the statement said. “Public Works staff are clearing drains and operating pumps to mitigate the water as quickly as possible.”
Due to continuous downpours, the airport, which is one of the region's biggest, suspended all inbound and outbound flights around 4:15 pm, according to its tweet.
In response to recurring tornado warnings and heavy rainfall, the airport shut down the ground transportation shuttle service around 5 pm.
Brightline, South Florida's high-speed commuter rail service, was also halted due to heavy rain. On Wednesday evening, the company tweeted that train service between Miami and Fort Lauderdale had been suspended.
"Please note that #FLL is now expected to remain closed until at least noon (12PM) on Thursday, April 13, 2023. The entrance roadways are still closed until further notice. Roadway updates will be provided as more information is available..." FLL Flyer posted the update on Twitter.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for Fort Lauderdale and surrounding areas, which was expected to last until the pre-dawn hours of Thursday due to the possibility of thunderstorms.
The situation was considered life-threatening, and people were advised to seek higher ground. While no injuries or deaths have been reported yet, up to 14 inches of rain fell in the area on Wednesday, and another 2 to 4 inches were expected as a warm front moved northward, bringing the risk of more thunderstorms, Associated Press reported.
Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy informed CNN that the area had already been experiencing rain for several days, causing extensive flooding throughout the city and South Florida. Many roadways were impassable, with numerous abandoned vehicles. Levy, a lifelong resident, called this the most severe flooding in Florida he has ever witnessed.
As per poweroutage.us, over 22,000 Florida customers were without power on Wednesday night.
Thumbnail image is taken from Twitter/@CannConActual.
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