Torrential weekend rain left parts of Miami-Dade County under water Sunday, washing out roads, damaging buildings and stranding residents in their homes from North Miami to South Beach.
Locals said the flooding has worsened in recent years, making it difficult to navigate local streets even after brief storms.
Belicardis Rodriguez, who has lived on Third Court in North Miami for more than 40 years, said he has only recently started experiencing serious flooding near his home. His neighbor captured video of deep water pooling on their street Sunday.
“The car come to there and it gotta go back. It’s really, really deep over here,” Rodriguez said.
While the water was walkable, he said it wasn’t safe to drive through and he preferred to wait it out.
“With flood like that and rain like that, there’s no way to go out,” he said.
Storms cause damage across Miami
In Coral Gables, part of a patio ceiling at the University of Miami’s Mahoney-Pearson dorms collapsed, though university officials confirmed no one was injured.
“I woke up from a nap to a text from my friend saying, ‘Hey, are your dorms okay?’ He said they got struck by lightning,” UM student Hunter Schaus said.
In South Beach, guests at The Villa Casa Casuarina, the former Versace Mansion-turned-hotel, reported water leaking through the dining room ceiling. Meanwhile, major roads throughout Miami were washed out, making driving nearly impossible.
Residents call for better flood control
Edgewater residents Ileana Mejia and Katherine Wald described their neighborhood as a “messy scene” on Sunday, with floodwaters lingering long after the storm had passed.
“Every year, it gets worse and worse. It gets to the point where you can’t leave the apartment,” Wald said.
“The storm was maybe two hours, maybe two and a half, but the flooding lasted the rest of the evening,” Mejia added.
City officials said Miami has two permanent pumps in Edgewater and can deploy additional pumps when necessary.
North Miami officials also confirmed they are working on a new master stormwater management plan to address the increasing flood concerns.
