Tropical Storm Isaac Leaves South Florida Residents Drenched

Tropical storm Isaac may have already moved on from South Florida, but it’s still wrecking havoc for residents who are dealing with flooding and power outages.

Isaac is said to have dropped at least 12 inches of rain in Broward County and as of today, the entire county is still under a flood warning. In some areas of Broward, the waters are so high that residents have had to place sandbags around their homes to prevent the water from coming inside.

In a suburb of Fort Lauderdale called Sunrise, many residents saw water levels rise by as much as 4 or 5 feet, causing water to flood lakes and canals, even covering roadways. As you drive down the road, it doesn’t take long to see the damage these waters have caused. On one flooded Sunrise street, there were 4 cars broken down due to the high waters.

Flooding and rain is expected during these storms, but what angers many residents it the lack of planning to prevent flooding in the first place. For instance, one resident stated that she had not seen flooding this bad since 1979 and since then, the City of Sunrise would drain the lakes and canals in anticipation of heavy rains associated with tropical storms and hurricanes. This time, the city did not turn on their pumps until after the storm had passed.

A resident we spoke to, who did not wish to be named, said he called the City of Sunrise on Monday and was told they just turned the water pumps on. The City of Sunrise actually posted a tweet yesterday about this very issue:

20hCity of Sunrise ‏@cityofsunrise

With 12+ inches of rain, plus storm surge and high tide, canals are up areawide. Sunrise is working with @SFWMD to lower water levels.

This is a reactive response and the City of Sunrise should have been more proactive to prevent this type of flooding. After all, this isn’t their first tropical storm.

Someone really dropped the ball and their negligence is costing residents a lot of unnecessary stress and work.

Hopefully these residents get the help they need from their local government, along with a few rain-free days so they can dry out a bit.

Two lakes became one and covered this roadway in Sunrise, FL after severe rainfall from Tropical Storm Isaac

High flood waters creep closer to this home in Sunrise, FL (Broward County) due to heavy rains caused by Tropical Storm Isaac

Residents in Sunrise, FL (Broward County) have to place sandbags in front of their garages to protect water from entering their homes following Tropical Storm Isaac

Broward County Florida (Sunrise): Some residents had to place sandbags around their home at the last minute due to rising flood waters caused by Tropical Storm Isaac