Severe flooding persists in Fort Lauderdale after another rainy night. Here is the latest

The flooding in Fort Lauderdale caused by relentless rainfall this week is among the worst Florida Director of Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie has seen in his more than 30 years in the state, he said at a news conference Friday after flying over the area in a helicopter to observe the damage.

Guthrie said he saw an area of about 20 blocks by 20 blocks directly north of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport that still has about three feet of standing water.

“It was not Fort Myers Beach catastrophic,” Guthrie said, referring to the devastating effects of Hurricane Ian on Florida’s west coast last year. “[But] it is a significant flooding event.”

The airport, which reopened Friday morning, received nearly 26 inches of rain.

The relentless rainfall seemed to subside early Friday, giving Fort Lauderdale a much-needed reprieve. But there was a chance of more storms later in the day.

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Medical situation

There has been some positive news.

No deaths have been reported as a result of the floods, officials said. Two firefighters were “slightly injured” by electricity in standing floodwater, according to Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, but Fort Lauderdale Fire Chief Stephen Golan said they have since been released from the hospital.

Trantalis said fire-rescue workers handled about 250 calls for help Thursday night amid more heavy rain, on top of 900 calls they had previously received.

At Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, outpatient services resumed Friday at limited capacity. Outpatient services were canceled Thursday after the hospital and its surrounding facilities experienced “water intrusion” from Wednesday’s downpour.

“Patients should contact their provider for appointment confirmation. In addition, there are several closures impacting Broward Health Physician Group offices and Broward HealthPoint locations,” the hospital said in a statement Friday afternoon. “Normal business operations, including emergency services, continue at all Broward Health hospitals.”

On the roads

Most major roads have been cleared, the mayor said. About 40 people and their pets are being housed at an emergency shelter with help from the Red Cross at Fort Lauderdale’s Holiday Park.

“We are well on our way to recovery with the help that we are receiving,” Trantalis said.

READ MORE: Fort Lauderdale airport reopens after days of rain, flooding and stranded passengers

Still, there is a long way to go. Hundreds of stalled cars have been removed from the roads, officials said, but more remain on the streets.

Flood damage

Guthrie said efforts are ongoing to pump water out of Fort Lauderdale and other hard-hit communities in Broward County, which will then allow officials to conduct more thorough assessments and remediation of the damage.

Broward County Public Schools remained closed Friday for a second day due to flooding and an estimated $2 million in school damage.

Despite the major impacts, Guthrie said he doesn’t expect local governments to qualify for FEMA reimbursement. The cost of the damage would have to reach $38 million for that to happen, Guthrie said.

“I don’t think we’re going to get there,” he said.

He added that many homes have water about 40 to 50 inches high, up to their windowsills, but not quite up to their roof lines — the threshold that would likely be necessary to qualify for individual assistance.

Dozens of stranded motorists have been rescued from vehicles and residents have been taken to safety by boat from flooded homes in recent days, after Fort Lauderdale saw record rainfall that was more in a single day than in some recent hurricanes.

At the airport, planes began taking off from the runway around 9:15 a.m. Friday. But there were numerous delays. And the tarmac held ample evidence of the past day’s downpours in the form of large ponds pooled on the concrete surrounding idle aircraft.

Hard-hit neighborhood

In Fort Lauderdale’s Edgewood neighborhood north of the airport, most of the roads are flooded to the point that the area resembles places that went through a damaging hurricane. Only hurricane season is months away and Edgewood has withstood decades of historic tropical storms with little flooding.

On Friday afternoon, Janet Lopez stood on the side of 30th Street in the subdivision right off I-95.

Lopez, 67, who has lived there with her husband, Hugh, since 2001, was telling people to slow down as they drove down the street Friday. It’s not the speed that angers her. It’s the wake from cars that pushes water into her house that she just recently bailed out.

At the height of the deluge, the Lopezes had 27 inches of water inside their home.

“It looked like our house was floating in the middle of a lake,” she said.

Stewart Stafford, 75, said he has lived in his house on 28th Street since 1993. Like his neighbors, he said he’s seen minor street flooding during powerful hurricanes, but nothing close to the rush of water that burst into his home Wednesday.

“I said to myself, ‘I got two inches before it comes in.’ Then, it’s, ‘I got one inch before it comes in.’ I’m putting towels down. I’m sucking up water with the wet vac and dumping it down the sink. But it just blew right in. There was no stopping it,” he said, looking out into his flooded back yard.

Cristina Afonso Meija, a public adjuster, was walking down 28th Street assessing the damage and explaining to people their insurance options. In 20 years, this is some of the worst naturally caused damage she’s seen outside of hurricane season.

“I’ve done many hurricanes,” she said. “This was a different experience.”

Fernando Hernandez was in his driveway bailing water out of his Honda Civic Sport. The car, like those of most of his neighbors, is ruined. The water came almost up to the headrest of his backseats.

He and his wife, Merkis, have rented their Edgewood apartment for 15 years. What they did own, their furniture, they just finished paying off. It’s ruined, he said.

But, like many of their neighbors, they lack options to go elsewhere.

“How could we move anyway?” Merkis asked, pointing to the water-logged Honda.

Some seek shelter

The deeper you get into Edgewood, the higher the floodwaters and the more severe the damage. It’s some of those residents, like Dawn Beemer, who decided to leave and seek refuge at the Red Cross shelter at Holiday Park.

She, her neighbors and their dogs waded out in chest-high street water to escape the misery and foot-high dank water inside their homes. Beemer, 61, is “grateful” to the staff and volunteers at the shelter, she said as she walked one of her friends’ dogs, Mr. Tibbs.

“It’s decent. There’s a roof over our head. We have blankets. They’re giving us food. They’re very nice,” Beemer said.

But she frets about rebuilding when she returns home. She and most people she knows don’t have flood insurance, she said.

“We’re in homes that are four feet high,” she said. “Why would we need it?”

Progress

Nearby cities that saw big impacts, including Hollywood and Hallandale Beach, were trying to get back to a semblance of normalcy Friday. Hollywood officials said residents parked in city garages to avoid the floods needed to move their cars by 11 a.m. Regular garbage collection resumed.

In Hallandale Beach, city hall and three parks remained closed due to the floodwaters, officials said.

Fort Lauderdale officials are also trying to move forward. The city’s shuttle service and water taxi are operational and garages are open, Trantalis said. And the Tortuga Music Festival on the beach, which begins Friday and goes through the weekend, is happening as planned.

“We are determined to make sure that our residents are safe and restore the community and our neighborhoods,” Trantalis said.

Meanwhile, officials in nearby Dania Beach were scrambling to pump three feet of water from roads on the west side of the city, according to City Manager Ana Garcia. She said Miami Beach officials are sending additional vacuum trucks at her request to assist in the effort.

“We want our residents to know we’re gonna be working 24/7 for as long as we have to work,” Garcia said. “We’re hoping right now for sunshine.”

Miami Herald staff writer Michelle Marchante contributed to this report.