Florida mops up after floods close Fort Lauderdale airport

Water was seen coming through door at one terminal as virtual river rushed down tarmac between planes

South Florida kept a wary eye on a forecast that called for more rain as it cleaned up on Thursday from nearly 30cm that fell in a matter of hours, causing widespread flooding, closing the Fort Lauderdale airport and turning thoroughfares into rivers.

Fort Lauderdale issued a state of emergency as flooding persisted in parts of the city. Crews had worked through the night to attend rescue calls, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.

Stranded cars littered streets around eastern Broward County, where rains started on Monday, with the heaviest downpours coming on Wednesday afternoon and evening.

Crews worked to clear drains and fire up pumps to clear standing water. People were told to stay off roads until it drained.

The Red Cross arrived at 5am on Thursday and set up a staging area to help residents whose homes were flooded, providing them with blankets and coffee, officials said.

The staging area also acted as a reunification point for families.

Fort Lauderdale City Hall remained closed on Thursday with ground-floor flooding and no power. A tunnel carrying US Route 1 under a river and a major street in the Fort Lauderdale city centre was also closed, along with some ramps to Interstate 95.

Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport remained closed through at least noon on Thursday, with many flights cancelled and some passengers stranded. Roads around the airport flooded and became congested with stalled traffic.

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  People wade with their belongings through high floodwaters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. AP

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  A woman wades through floodwaters in a Fort Lauderdale neighbourhood as the city keeps a wary on a forecast calling for more rain. AP

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  A vehicle drives on the flooded runway at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. AP

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  Travellers stranded at the Fort Lauderdale airport wait for flights to resume. AP

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  Flooding at the airport caused it to close. AP

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  Passengers wait for flights to resume. AP

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  Cars stranded amid the floodwaters near the airport. AP

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  About 30cm of rain fell on the area in a matter of hours. AP

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  The flight status board at the airport. AP

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  A flooded street in Fort Lauderdale. Reuters

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  A car sits amid flooding in Fort Lauderdale. Reuters

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  A school crossing guard helps people cross the street in Dania, Florida. AP

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  Waves crash against the jetty at the Bal Harbour Lighthouse. AP

By early Thursday, enough water had drained to allow people to drive on the upper level — or departures — road to pick up waiting passengers. But the entrance to the lower-level, or arrivals, road remained closed, officials tweeted.

Video taken by witnesses showed water coming in the door at an airport terminal and a virtual river rushing down the tarmac between planes.

In the Fort Lauderdale city centre, video showed a man swimming to the kerb along Broward Boulevard on Wednesday afternoon as cars rolled by. Drivers also recorded themselves rolling through streets where brown, swirling water rose nearly to car bonnets.

Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy told CNN it was the worst flooding he had experienced.

“The ground was already saturated so there is extensive flooding all over our city and throughout South Florida," Mr Levy said. "Many roadways are impassable. Lots of vehicles got stuck and left abandoned in the middle of our roadways.

“I’ve lived here my whole life. This is the most severe flooding that I’ve ever seen.”

More showers, thunderstorms and local flooding were in the forecast from the National Weather Service on Thursday morning. An additional 5-10cm of rain was possible on top of the 35cm that fell in recent days.

Broward County schools cancelled classes on Thursday, including after-school and extracurricular activities.

“We had schools experiencing severe flooding,” Toni Barnes, Broward Schools director of emergency management, told WPLG-TV.

“The water made its way into the hallways, into the classrooms ... The schools became inaccessible to parents, parents attempting to pick up their students.

"Staff members attempting to leave campuses — they were unable — they were trapped in their cars. We had to call fire rescue to assist our parents out of their cars to get them into the school because they were trapped.”

The heavy rains also shut down South Florida’s high-speed commuter rail service, called Brightline. It tweeted on Wednesday evening that train service between Miami and Fort Lauderdale was suspended.