Heavy Flooding Overwhelms Miami Beach, Parts of Miami

MIAMI BEACH, FL — What turned out to be severe thunderstorms overwhelmed parts of Miami Beach on Tuesday and forced the cancellation of some National Night Out events in Miami and nearby areas. Miami Beach officials reported heavy flooding in some areas and numerous calls to the city's 9-1-1 center. There were also reports of power and traffic light outages.

Meanwhile, the unusually heavy rains cleared out the normally busy Mary Brickell Village in Miami and caused gridlock during the evening commute in Miami Beach. Cars stalled amid the rising water while at least one condominium lobby and garage was overcome by the flood waters. There were even reports of flooding in the Sunset Harbour neigborhhood of Miami Beach, which recently underwent a series of improvements to guard against rising sea levels. (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Beach Patch.)

See also Miami Beach's Sunset Harbour Neighborhood Hit By Flooding

The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory until 5:45 p.m. for downtown Miami and parts of Coral Gables. A flash flood warning remained in effect until 7:45 p.m. along Miami Beach. Some officials initially blamed the storm on the remnants of Tropical Storm Emily.

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"We have mobilized flood teams throughout the city, but we are currently experiencing an unprecedented amount of rainfall with a rate of over 7 inches per hour due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Emily," Miami Beach officials warned. "This amount of rainfall is twice our design criteria for our storm water infrastructure."

Officials urged motorists to exercise caution and report flooding via the free Miami Beach e-Gov app or by calling 305.673.7625 or 305.604.CITY.

In Pinecrest, officials also reported flooding and warned residents to be cautious during the evening commute. Village officials reported a traffic light outage at Killian Dr. and 72nd Avenue as well as flooding on 72nd Avenue.

Miami police postponed the city's National Night Out event while Miami-Dade police canceled several National Night Out events in the Northside District, Kendall District and Hammock's District.

One Miami Beach resident asked her son to tweet a message to Miami Beach police that motorists were driving too fast for conditions.

"Idiots are driving down our street at speed and pushing the water way up people's driveways and sidewalks and I'm sure into people's homes," she explained.

Here are tips from Miami Beach officials on what to do during a flood:

• Be smart if you see flood waters. Stay safe, avoid driving through or coming in contact with flood waters. Six inches of fast-flowing water can knock you off your feet and less than a meter of water can float car.
• Flood water can be contaminated with sewage or other pollutants. There could also be hazards below the surface, like debris, that you cannot see.

Tips for after a flood:

• Report any flood damage to your insurance agent.
• Clean and disinfect everything that got wet.
• Wash your car, including the undercarriage, if it came in contact with flood waters.
• Rinse landscaping if it came into contact with flood waters.
• Don't enter a flooded building until it's been cleared by local authorities.
• Take pictures of the damage. Document both the building and contents
• Mitigate while you repair — make changes to prevent the risk of water damage in the event of any future flood events.
• If your house is in a flood zone and is damaged and/or improved to an amount greater than 50 percent of its building market value, the lowest floor will have to be raised to meet the current elevation requirement. Call the Building Department at 305.673.7610 to learn more.
• FEMA financial assistance is available for repetitive loss and substantial damage properties. Call the Grants office at 305.673.7510 to learn more.

Photo courtesy Miami Beach Police Department