Fort Lauderdale saw significant flooding, the closure of the airport, and the suspension of high-speed commuter train service for the area of Broward County as a result of the almost one foot (30 cm) of rain that fell there in a couple of hours.
In a statement issued Wednesday night, the mayor of Fort Lauderdale urged locals and tourists to avoid the roadways until the water had receded.
The message said, “Police and Fire Rescue continue to respond to requests for assistance.” “Public Works employees are emptying drains and using pumps to swiftly reduce the flood.”
The airport, one of the biggest in the area, suspended all incoming and outgoing aircraft on Wednesday due to the persistent rain, according to a tweet from the airport at 4:15 p.m.
Due to persistent tornado warnings and continued heavy rain, the airport reported it had suspended ground transportation shuttle service at roughly 5 o’clock.
By 5:15 p.m., the airport reported that the major roads leading to and from the airport were flooded and unusable.
It pleaded with people not to try to enter or leave the airport at this time.
It said that airport operations will resume as soon as the climate in the Fort Lauderdale region improved.
The high-speed commuter train service in South Florida was also suspended due to the severe rains. Wednesday night, Brightline announced the suspension of train operations between Miami and Fort Lauderdale on Twitter.
About 8 o’clock on Wednesday night, the Miami branch of the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for Fort Lauderdale as well as the neighborhoods between Hollywood and Dania Beach. A tornado warning was issued a short while later for the adjacent cities of Davie, Plantation, and Lauderhill.
There are no current reports of injuries or fatalities.
