Heavy downpours drenched parts of northern Broward County on Thursday, causing treacherous driving conditions as rain flooded streets and roads.<\/p>\n
Northeast 56th Street in front of Northeast High School turned into a lake, a recurring problem following relentless rainstorms.<\/p>\n
Gay Rogers, who has lived with the flooding for 50 years, said speeding cars regularly send waves of water splashing to her front door, leaving trash scattered across her lawn.<\/p>\n
“It’s horrible. You can’t get out,” Rogers said. “I worry it will come into my house”.<\/p>\n
The high water also created obstacles for students trying to get into school. Freshman David Ramirez showed off his drenched jeans after leaving school through the high water.<\/p>\n
“You can’t dodge it, you are gonna get wet no matter what,” Ramirez said.<\/p>\n
South of Oakland Park in Melrose Manors, located off Broward Boulevard, widespread street flooding covered the southwest neighborhood. A planned city drainage project for the area remains two years away.<\/p>\n
A city pump truck arrived on scene to drain rainwater from the streets. Carl Marchant, a resident who previously lost two cars to floodwaters, expressed relief as crews worked.<\/p>\n
“I love it,” Marchant said. “At least they’ll get water pumping out”.<\/p>\n
The weather also caused flight delays at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.<\/p>\n
However, nearby areas saw significant improvement. The Edgewood neighborhood off State Road 84, which suffered severe flooding three and a half years ago, remained mostly clear. River Oaks, located north of State Road 84, also drained.<\/p>\n
The city’s new pump system, which pushes water from those neighborhoods into the New River and out to the ocean, appears to be helping.<\/p>\n