FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Forecasters warned Florida residents to prepare for more flash flooding after a tropical disturbance dumped up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain in several parts of the state’s south, with conditions expected to get worse on Friday.
The disorganized storm system, coming from the Gulf of Mexico, swept through Florida around the same time as the early June hurricane season began, which is forecast to be among the most active in recent memory, amid concerns that Climate change increases the intensity of storms.
Heavy rain on Tuesday continued into Wednesday, delaying flights at two of the state’s largest airports and leaving vehicles waterlogged and stranded on some of the region’s lowest roads. On Thursday, travelers were trying to salvage their plans as residents cleared debris ahead of the next rainy season.
The National Weather Service warned that even small amounts of precipitation could have an impact on saturated areas, causing flash flooding on Friday before the region has a chance to recover.
“It looked like the beginning of a zombie movie,” said Ted Rico, a tractor-trailer driver who spent much of Wednesday night and Thursday morning helping remove stranded vehicles from the streets. “There are cars scattered everywhere, on the sidewalks, in the medians, in the middle of the street, with the lights off. Crazy, you know? Abandoned cars everywhere.”
Rico, of One Master Trucking Corp., was born and raised in Miami, and said he was ready for the emergency.
“You know when it’s coming,” he said. “Every year it gets worse, and for some reason, people just keep going through the puddles.”
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