Florida braces for next round of rain after flooding in southern state

Forecasters warned Floridians to prepare for additional flash flooding after a tropical disturbance dumped up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain on southern parts of the state, with conditions expected to worsen on Friday.

The disorganized storm system was moving across Florida from the Gulf of Mexico around the same time as the early June start of hurricane season, which this year is forecast to be one of the most active in recent memory amid concerns that climate change is increasing the intensity of storms.

Downpours fell on Tuesday and continued into Wednesday, delaying flights at two of the state’s largest airports and leaving vehicles waterlogged and stuck on some of the region’s lowest roads. On Thursday, travelers tried to salvage their plans as residents cleared debris ahead of the next round of rain.

The National Weather Service warned that even smaller amounts of precipitation could affect 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 tow truck driver who spent much of Wednesday night and Thursday morning helping clear streets of stuck vehicles. “There are cars scattered everywhere, on the sidewalks, in the median, in the middle of the street, with no lights on. Just 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 keep walking through the puddles.”

Ticket and security lines snaked around a domestic concourse at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Thursday. Travel dashboards showed that about half of a terminal’s flights had been canceled or postponed.

Bill Carlisle, a Navy Petty Officer First Class, spent the morning trying to catch a flight back to Norfolk, Virginia. He arrived at Miami International Airport around 6:30 am, but 90 minutes later he was still in line and realized that he would not be able to check his bags or get through security in time to catch his flight. .

“It was a zoo,” said Carlisle, a public affairs specialist. He was speaking on his behalf, not on that of the Navy. “I have nothing against the (airport) employees, they can’t do much.”

[Con información de The Associated Press]

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels Youtube, WhatsApp and to the newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.