Floodwaters, damaged cars and lots of crying: Calls coming in ‘nonstop’ for tow-truck help

Lisa J. Huriash, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
·3 min read
7

As many stranded drivers faced flash flooding, South Florida tow truck drivers have been receiving many pleas for help. “People were hysterical, they were crying. It was a madhouse,” one tow-truck manager reported.

A day after Wednesday’s heavy rains, which set off flash flooding, tow truck companies say they’re still receiving dozens, if not hundreds, of calls. And the calls aren’t stopping: They’re working round-the-clock to retrieve cars from the water, with several of them considered “totaled.”

Motorists were “stuck everywhere,” said Miguel Rivera, general manager of Monster Towing & Recovery in Fort Lauderdale. “It’s like a movie. We’re backed up and more rain is coming today.”

There’s still a backlog of calls for cars stuck on the side of the road.

John Ruiz, manager of J&S Towing and Transport Services in Fort Lauderdale, said his company towed more than 150 cars Wednesday. He described the calls as “nonstop,” since another 79 calls came Thursday morning. “People were hysterical,” he said. “They were crying. It was a madhouse.”

“There’s not enough towing companies to cover all these cars,” he said.

The National Weather Service in Miami shared via social media some video of submerged cars, and wrote, “Now that the sun is up, the true shocking scope of the ongoing flooding is now being observed from the air.”

As a flood watch remained in effect Thursday, Rivera said most of his calls for help were coming from the Fort Lauderdale area.

Related Articles

Some cars on the side of the road got the brunt of the wakes created by passing cars going too fast — and then became disabled.

That’s because as cars zipped by, it created a wake for everyone else: “People weren’t being nice, everyone was scared for themselves, damaging other people’s vehicles by trying to go fast. There’s still cars on the side of the road.”

Much of his company’s work Thursday has been centered in Hollywood, with Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Dania Beach not far behind.

Monster Towing & Recovery’s Rivera said the tow company is backed up trying to tend to the callers. About 200 desperate calls came overnight for help.

“Cars are underwater, people are trying to go around other people and they get stuck,” he said. He anticipates about 80% of the cars he helped tow are totaled.

State Farm has received approximately 300 auto claims that has triggered torrential downpours and widespread flooding in Broward, Miami, Sarasota and Palm Beach counties since Tuesday, the company said in a statement.

Rivera said drivers were anxious about their cars being “completely underwater submerged.”

“People call to save them, some can’t even get out of their car cause the water is so high,” he said. “They’re crying.”

The need for help was so high that the Broward Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday it also was receiving non-emergency calls, through 911, for disabled cars.

The Sheriff’s Office was reminding the public that “911 is only to be used for true emergencies. … If you must travel outside and find yourself stranded, do not call 911. Find a safe place to shelter and call a tow truck company, if necessary.”

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash