Flooding Rain Pummels Miami Beach Again
MIAMI BEACH(CBS4) - For the second time in four days, heavy rain pummeled Miami Beach, stopping traffic, inundating some businesses and forcing workers at least one hotel to mop up because of ground-floor flooding.
Some of the most widespread flooding was along Purdy Avenue.
"The rainfall has affected my business absolutely," said Alan Feldman, the manager of P.B. Steaks on Purdy Avenue. "The pipes get flooded and water gets inside. As you can see no one is coming in."
"We can hardly handle this," said P.B. Steaks bartender Jennifer Costa.
Inside the Colony Hotel near 8th Street on Ocean Drive, bartender Chelsey Brooke told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "This was pretty intense. Sometimes this happens when the drains get clogged up. But we moved quickly and everyone pitched in to clean up quickly."
There was a memorable site outside a Walgreens store on Alton Road at 10th Street. Sand bags kept the water from flowing in to the store. Some wore wading boots to get across busy Alton Road.
Ralph Budd told D'Oench, "I bought these boots six months ago. This is the first time I have used them. This is a trial run."
The rainfall made work challenging for some workers.
"We deliver linen to businesses and restaurants," said Oneil Strachan of the Gold Coast Linen Service. "And when there is rain like this, we have to prepare and wear special boots like these."
"This is wonderful rain that we are getting on Miami Beach," he said. "But it can be awful to work in. It can be rough. We have to make adjustments."
CBS4 meteorologist Craig Setzer told D'Oench that four and a half inches of rain fell on Miami Beach on Friday. As of 3 p.m. Monday, nearly three inches had fallen.
The rainfall was a surprise to many as we are not in the rainy season yet. It starts in May.
Setzer told D'Oench the outlook for the week looks better.
German tourist Maria Weidner told D'Oench that even though it's not summer yet, the rain on Miami Beach felt like the "summer rain" she experiences in Germany.
"I love summer rain," said Weidner. "And that's what this feels like, summer rain. And I like this."
