King Tides To Add To Fort Lauderdale's Flooding Problems
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – Pump stations in Fort Lauderdale are working furiously to get rid of water in the city's storm drains ahead of the upcoming King Tides.
"Just this week with all the flooding, I couldn't leave my street for three days. It was terrible," said Eav Baer, who lives on one of the Las Olas Isles.
Between recent flooding and the King Tides that fill her street, she's concerned about the days ahead.
"That's the problem. All at the same time, it where it's really bad. There's nothing I can do," she said.
Making it even more worrisome, we're seeing more rain when the area's already saturated and King Tides will just add to it.
"If the tide is very high and it rains, there's nowhere for that water to go," said Dr. Nancy Gassman, Assistant Public Works Director in Fort Lauderdale.
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Gassman said there is a concern is when the city gets lots of rain and King Tides at the same time.
"When there's a significant rainfall concurrent with a King Tide, the water sits on the road much longer because the tide is essentially blocking the drainage system," she said.
That's why the pumps are so critical, they're making room for more runoff.
"Whenever you have water in your system, you have less capacity to take on more water from the sky. And so the pump systems provide the opportunity to create capacity in our system to anticipate additional rainfall," said Glassman.
WATCH: CBS4's Ty Russell Has More On The Flooding Frustrations Across South Florida
Meanwhile, the city is gearing up for water-covered roads. They're putting up "No Wake" signs in flood-prone areas and placing markers at the edge of roads so drivers don't unknowingly navigate off the street.
The rain didn't stop Thursday night. It caused more standing water on busy streets in North Miami. We were given cell phone video from CBS 4 News Partner, Miami Herald reporter Alex Harris. It shows flooded roads at Dickens Avenue and 78th street in Miami Beach. Nearby, along 85th street and Byron Avenue, drivers also dealt with flooded roadways.We also received pictures showing the standing water at the intersection.
Across Broward County, several streets still look like canals. Especially those in Melrose Manors and Melrose Park. Both are in Fort Lauderdale. Because of this flooding, they may get a new drainage system faster than originally planned.
In the meantime, vacuum trucks are running all day and night to try to reduce the impact. Some say they are forced to walk in the standing water.
"You see these shoes? I'm throwing them away after today. You see what I'm saying? This is the last day I'm wearing these shoes," John Evans said.
Crews are working to clean streets in Hollywood. That's after an overwhelmed sewer system because of the rain.
In Pembroke Pines, neighbors say the water isn't receding fast enough. The frustration was echoed from city leaders during a meeting Thursday.
"It has to get done. This can't happen again," a city leader said during a meeting.
The city says residents should see the streets clear by Sunday.