DAVIE, FLA. (AP/WSVN) – A flood watch has been extended for Broward and Miami-Dade counties until 2 a.m., Thursday.
The flood watch comes after heavy rains hit South Florida for several days, causing flooding, travel delays and closures.
Sawgrass Mills Mall was closed Wednesday after flood waters submerged cars in the parking lot.
Zoo Miami also closed its doors in the middle of the day due to the harsh weather.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Miami International Airports saw many flight cancelations and delays. As of Wednesday morning, there were 11 delays and 18 cancellations at MIA, and 125 delays and 20 cancellations at FLL.
According to Florida Power and Light, as of 9 p.m., Wednesday, 399 Broward residents and 801 Miami-Dade residents were without power.
The baseball field at American Heritage High School was completely submerged underwater.
Some families are keeping their children at home instead of wading in the waters to school.
“Do you blame them? No,” said a school bus driver. “It’s really not safe.”
“It’s never been this high, no,” said a Broward resident. “Never been this high.”
“I just see a river. That’s what this looks like, a river. It does not look like a street,” said another resident.
A teenager in Broward was searching for fish that spilled from his family’s pond into the roadways.
“I want my fish back,” he said.
One man is grateful to his late wife who insisted they build their house high above ground. “She says, ‘Nope, we’re spending the money on fill, we’re gonna be high enough that we’re never gonna have to worry about it,” he said. “She was absolutely right.”
“We have water inside our garage at least two inches deep,” said a homeowner. “It came all the way up to the sandbags there.”
According to the Associated Press, the weather service reported, as of 9 a.m. Wednesday, 10.23 inches of rain had fallen over the previous 48 hours in Sunrise. In Davie, officials recorded 10.28 inches of rain over the 48-hour period. Weston recorded 11 inches in that same time period.
The Associated Press also said on Tuesday, Fort Lauderdale set a rainfall record with 4.78 inches, breaking the previous record of 1.96 inches set in 1926. In West Palm Beach, the 4.18 inches broke the record of 3 inches set in 1904.
There are over 50 families in Broward who could use assistance in combatting the flood, according to the American Red Cross. The ARC set up a location at 13000 SW 5th Court in Davie for those who wish to contribute.
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