Tampa Bay Times

How many homes and cars were damaged in South Florida floods? Take a look.

By Miami Herald (TNS),

2024-06-15

Hundreds of people will be filing claims for water damage to their homes and cars in the coming days as South Florida tries to recover from three days of flooding rain.

And expect for more wet weather over the weekend. Forecasters don’t think the weather will be as bad as during the week, but it’s still a concern for hard-hit areas, mostly in northeastern Miami-Dade and southern Broward. Some flooded areas, including Miami Beach, Hallandale Beach and North Miami, have seen more than a 20 inches of rain since Tuesday.

Here’s how South Florida was affected:

South Florida sees more than a foot of rain

South Florida has seen 8 to 14 inches of rain since Tuesday, with North Miami and Hallandale Beach recording up to 20 inches of rain and Miami Shores recording 21.66 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Miami Beach saw more than a foot of rain. The most rainfall recorded in southern Florida during this week’s deluge — nearly 28 inches of rain — was at Big Cypress National Preserve Headquarters in Collier County, according to the Weather Service.

600+ flood-related auto claims filed

▪ As of Friday morning, State Farm has received more than 600 auto claims in southern Florida since Tuesday’s deluge began. The car insurance company said that the majority of the claims it’s received across Miami-Dade, Broward, Sarasota and Palm Beach counties are for flood damage. It expects to see the claim count balloon as the region is hit with more rain through the weekend and more drivers “discover flood damage” in their cars, trucks and SUVs.

▪ Fort Lauderdale police on Friday told the Miami Herald it had found about 65 abandoned vehicles due to the flooding this week.

At least 100 homes with water damage

It’s difficult to know how many South Florida homes were damaged by flooding water. Homeowners will be taking photos and contacting their home insurance or the National Flood Insurance Program to submit claims.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday during a news briefing in Hollywood said it’s unlikely that Broward County will qualify for FEMA disaster assistance because there doesn’t seem to be enough damaged homes.

Based on visual inspections in “hotspot” areas, the city of Hollywood alone, for example, estimates that at least 100 homes were left with some type of water damage from the flooding rain. The county needs about 1,000 homes with major damage to request aid, according to Kevin Guthrie, the director of the state’s emergency management division that is tasked with responding to disasters like hurricanes and flooding.

“Right now we don’t have any reports of any destroyed homes at all,” said Guthrie during the briefing, noting that it was the state’s rapid response to the flooding rain that likely helped reduce damage.

However, both DeSantis and Guthrie say it’s possible small-business owners can get financial assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Businesses can complete a damage assessment survey online at FloridaDisaster.biz by selecting “South Florida Flooding” from the drop-down menu. This will help the state gather data, assess needs and potentially help the county qualify for some financial assistance, Guthrie said.

Pumps to help clear flooding

Cities, counties and the state have pumps available to clear flooding. And the pumps have been working overtime:

▪ 20 of 90 temporary stormwater pumps brought by the state to South Florida are operating to help clear flooding, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s Friday update. More than 12 million gallons of water have been pumped out of flooded areas so far, DeSantis announced Friday at a news briefing in Broward County.

▪ Miami deployed 12 of its 14 temporary pumps for the flooding, in addition to the city’s 13 permanent pump stations. Miami also sicced a squad of 10 roving vactor trucks on the flooding hot spots, large trucks that suck up excess water on the street.

▪ Fort Lauderdale deployed 22 temporary stormwater pumps and 15 Vactor trucks.

▪ The South Florida Water Management system used five additional temporary pumps, one in Miami Beach and four along the Miami River, to the east of Miami International Airport.

▪ Miami Beach used six temporary pumps in flood-prone spots, in addition to its 48 permanent pump stations, and seven Vactor trucks.

Dozens of rescue calls

▪ Hollywood says it received more than 50 calls requesting rescue due to flooding.

▪ The Broward Sheriff’s Office and Fire Rescue received more than 200 calls on Wednesday alone that resulted in water rescues. Of those calls, 174 were from Hallandale Beach. The city saw 26 high-water rescues — some by boat. Some of the people rescued included a dog and a young mother with a baby, according to the city.

▪ Miami-Dade police got about three dozen rescue calls from people trapped in homes or businesses by rising floodwaters, as of Thursday morning.

▪ 311 received more than 430 calls so far related to flooding and clogged drains, Miami-Dade County told the Miami Herald on Friday.