Eta Rainfall In S. Florida Adding 6-12" More To October's 14"; 100-Yr Event - Ft. Lauderdale Mayor
Torrential rain from Tropical Storm Eta caused dangerous flooding across Florida's most densely populated urban areas today after it made landfall in the Florida Keys. Cars were stranded and entire neighborhoods were swamped as flash floods rose in areas where the water had no place to drain. The system's wide reach and heavy rains posed a serious threat across South Florida, an area already drenched from more than 14 inches of rain last month. Eta could dump an additional 6 to 12 inches, forecasters said.
"It was far worse than we could've ever imagined, and we were prepared," said Arbie Walker, a 27-year-old student who had to slosh through water covering his apartment's floors in Fort Lauderdale. "It's been pretty much nonstop rain since yesterday. There's 5-6 inches of rain in our apartment right now. It took us 20 minutes to navigate out of our neighborhood due to the heavy flooding in our area," Walker added. Floodwaters also submerged half of his sister's car.
Eta's center hit land late yesterday as it blew over Lower Matecumbe Key, in the middle of the chain of small islands that form the Florida Keys. It was moving into the Gulf of Mexico early today near where the Everglades meet the sea, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. It was centered south of Naples, moving west-northwest at 13 mph.
Forecasters said it could reintensify into a minimal hurricane as it slowly moves up the southwest Gulf Coast, centered just far enough offshore to maintain its strength while dumping vast amounts of water across the lower third of the Florida Peninsula. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis called it a 100-year rain event, drenching already saturated streets. "Once the ground becomes saturated, there's really no place for the water to go," Trantalis said. "It's not like a major hurricane. It's more of a rain event, and we're just doing our best to ensure that the people in our community are being protected."
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