Broward County, Florida: Extreme flooding strikes Fort Lauderdale as space faces historic quantities of rainfall

(CNN) Substantial downpours have inundated Fort Lauderdale and elements of South Florida Wednesday night time in a once-in-a-half-century rainfall occasion, resulting in a flash flood emergency in Broward County and one mayor calling the deluge the “most extreme flooding that I’ve ever seen.”

Round 10 to 14 inches of rain have fallen throughout the world Wednesday and an extra two to 4 inches are doable as heavy thunderstorms proceed to maneuver slowly throughout the world.

Fort Lauderdale “is experiencing extreme flooding in a number of areas of the town,” Fort Lauderdale Hearth Rescue mentioned on social media, warning to remain off the roads as automobiles might develop into caught or submerged.

A flash flood emergency — the best stage of flood warning — has been issued for parts of South Florida, together with Fort Lauderdale, based on the National Weather Service (NWS) in Miami Wednesday night time.

“It is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION,” the NWS warned. “Transfer to larger floor now! That is an especially harmful and life-threatening scenario. Don’t try and journey except you’re fleeing an space topic to flooding or underneath an evacuation order.”

Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy instructed CNN that “metropolis crews are doing every little thing they’ll” to deploy pumps wherever doable and maintain drains clear.

“We have recorded over 12 inches of rain since midnight, and that is on prime of consecutive days of seemingly nonstop rain,” Levy mentioned. “The bottom was already saturated so there may be in depth flooding throughout our metropolis and all through South Florida. Many roadways are impassable. Numerous automobiles received caught and left deserted in the course of our roadways.

“I’ve lived right here my complete life. That is probably the most extreme flooding that I’ve ever seen,” he mentioned.

Fort Lauderdale officers have activated its emergency operations middle and will probably be issuing a proclamation of a neighborhood state of emergency, saying in an announcement early Thursday morning that airboats and high-clearance buggies have been secured from the county sheriff’s workplace and the Florida Wildlife Fee.

“Workers is assessing park amenities to transform them to staging/reunification facilities for people impacted by the flash floods. We count on to open these as quickly as doable,” the town mentioned. There’s “no energy at Metropolis Corridor. We’ve got experiences of water flooding the primary flooring of the Transportation and Mobility (TAM) constructing.”

The town’s system is designed to tackle no less than 3 inches of rain in a 24-hour interval however they’ve “had neighborhoods obtain greater than 12″ of rain. Service crews will probably be out to answer flooding experiences and considerations.”

CNN has reached out to metropolis and county officers for extra info.

4 twister warnings had been reported within the space Wednesday. The flash flood emergency is in impact for central Broward County till 2 a.m. EDT Thursday.

Floods inundate key elements of Broward County

Officers have requested residents to keep away from driving or touring in Fort Lauderdale amid the storms.

“Police and Hearth Rescue proceed to reply requires service,” the city of Fort Lauderdale mentioned in a information launch on Wednesday night. “Public Works employees are clearing drains and working pumps to mitigate the water as rapidly as doable. Efforts have been made to alleviate site visitors congestion by way of prioritized signaling to help people leaving the Metropolis. We’re requesting drivers to remain off the roads and keep away from the Metropolis of Fort Lauderdale till the water has subsided.”

The flooding was impacting rush hour site visitors Wednesday and led to the closure of a tunnel, the town mentioned.

“The Henry E. Kinney Tunnel is closed. Please keep away from the world. The climate situations mixed with rush hour site visitors are compounding points within the downtown space,” the town mentioned.

The Broward Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned in an announcement Wednesday it’s “being inundated with non-emergency 911 calls relating to the inclement climate” and asks residents to make use of 911 just for “true emergencies,” additionally telling residents to keep away from driving and to name a tow truck firm if a automobile is stranded and never in an emergency.

Some native companies are shuttering Thursday. The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Worldwide Airport is closed on account of ongoing flooding within the neighborhood and can reopen at midday, according to an update from the airport, and Broward County Public Colleges introduced the district will probably be closed Thursday.

The Brightline practice service has been quickly suspended between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, the service said on social media.

Noticed rainfall totals in and across the Fort Lauderdale space point out no less than a 1-in-50 12 months rainfall occasion Wednesday, based on a CNN evaluation of precipitation statistics from the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with rainfall totals as of 9 p.m. ET Wednesday exceeding 12 inches in 24 hours.

Some locations might have seen much more excessive rainfall. In response to the most recent flash flood emergency issued by the NWS in Miami, some areas might have acquired as much as 20 inches of rain, which might correspond to no less than a 1-in-200-year rainfall occasion.

Preliminary 24-hour rainfall totals point out a number of cities and neighborhoods are being impacted. No less than 11.09 inches of rain have fallen in Fort Lauderdale, 12.21 inches in Lauderhill and 13.92 inches in Dania Seaside as of Wednesday night time.

CNN’s Brandon Miller, Robert Shackelford, Sara Weisfeldt and Devon Sayers contributed to this report.