MIAMI.- The National Weather Service extended a flood alert until Friday night, due to the intense rains that have hit South Florida since Tuesday and are expected to continue throughout the week. Added to this are delays and cancellations at the Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports.
After a tour on Wednesday morning, DIARIO LAS AM͉RICAS was able to verify problems in the drainage systems in some areas of Miami-Dade County. Likewise, in neighboring Broward, north of Miami, similar situations were reported.
According to weather authorities, Miami Beach had recorded 6.95 inches of rain since midnight Tuesday, while Hallandale accumulated 6.01 inches.
Other affected locations included the towns of Coral Gables with an average of 5 inches of rain, Miami Shores (5.02 inches), North Miami (4.41 inches) and Hollywood (3.82 inches).
Predictions indicated that after an early morning lull on Wednesday, storm activity was expected to increase in the midday and afternoon hours.
Regarding Miami, the floods had affected areas such as Brickell and Little Havana, where cars were observed stuck due to the accumulation of water in certain roads.
Mario González, an employee of the private parking lot of a building in Brickell, said that since Tuesday the influx of vehicles had decreased, while mentioning flooding recorded in surrounding streets.
In Miami Beach, roads such as 71st Street, Harding Avenue, Alton Road and 46th Street, among others, had problems with vehicular traffic. “The lowest cars are the ones that are having the most problems,†commented a gas station user.
Heavy rains in South Florida also caused severe flooding that temporarily closed Hallandale Beach Boulevard, affected underground residential parking lots in Surfside, flooded residential streets in Opa-locka and a mobile home community in Hialeah.
In addition, the rainfall had generated traffic problems in Dania Beach and Hollywood.
In Doral, Mayor Christi Fraga informed DLA that she had no reports of flooded areas. “We corrected that problem last year,” she said.
Problems at airports
Air activity at the Miami and Fort Lauderdale terminals has also seen some delays since the rain began Tuesday.
Indira Almeida-Pardillo, spokesperson for Miami International Airport (MIA), told DIARIO LAS AM͉RICAS that “some problems have arisen, mainly due to lightning.”
“The preliminary report indicates that we have had 69 delayed flights and 27 cancellations,†he noted.
He said that the MIA would issue a press release on Wednesday afternoon to specify the problems that have arisen as a result of the bad weather in the area.
For their part, spokespersons for Fort Lauderdale International Airport reported that flights were experiencing delays of almost an hour and a half due to the accumulation of water on the runway.
Faced with the adverse weather, authorities urged South Florida residents to stay safe and informed.
