Alan Edward stood on his front porch Monday watching pump trucks suck up knee-deep water from the street in front of his Fort Lauderdale home.
The Melrose Park neighborhood got hit hard by last week’s record rainstorm, bringing back bad memories of another flood that came in 2020, compliments of Tropical Storm Eta.
Edward and his wife — who is sick with cancer and can’t leave the back room — have lived in the home for 20 years.
“I lost everything again,” Edward, 76, said in a weary voice as he surveyed his waterlogged property on Melrose Circle. “Water came through every door. We got no money to fix. I have no flood insurance. I was told this is not a flood zone. Think I’ll sell it and walk away. I’m too old for this.”
Edward and his neighbors in the predominantly minority neighborhood south of Broward Boulevard and east of State Road 7 have been through this before. The last 500-year storm came in November 2020, when streets, sidewalks and yards disappeared under the floodwaters left by Tropical Storm Eta.
Down the street, Maritza Pagan was helping her brother and husband lug soggy mattresses and furniture from their damaged home, piling it on the corner out front.
She, too, remembers the floodwaters that came in late 2020, nearly three years ago.
“Last time I had no no flood insurance,” she said. “Second time yes, thank God!”
Back at the Edwards’ home, daughter Simone came to help.
“My mom can’t get out,” Simone Edward said. “She’s bedridden. She can’t even get to the bathroom. We called the city for help. Nobody came. We have no refrigerator or air conditioning.”
Fort Lauderdale police and firefighters have been busy answering hundreds of calls for help since the rainstorm hit on Wednesday, dumping nearly 26 inches of rain on the city in less than six hours.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue officials started going house to house Sunday morning, taking photos and documenting the damage, Fire Chief Stephen Gollan said.
As of about 9 p.m., 574 homes had been checked, Battalion Chief Garrett Pingol said. Of those, 430 had major damage, meaning 18 inches or more of interior water damage.
If city officials can document that at least 400 homes have suffered severe damage, they are hoping property owners will be able to apply for help from FEMA, City Manager Greg Chavarria said.
On Monday, city crews continued to clear neighborhoods; eight pump trucks were operating citywide, and another 10 trucks were en route to help.
As of Monday night, 82 people were housed at the Holiday Park shelter, said Tiffany Gonzalez, a South Florida Red Cross spokesperson. Case workers began meeting with residents at the shelter Sunday to figure out their needs.
Red Cross staff will be surveying home damage throughout the week, separately from fire rescue officials, and opening cases for residents. Volunteers are also handing out lunches and dinners and emergency supplies in affected neighborhoods, including Melrose Park and Edgewood, Gonzalez said.
Rain came again Sunday night and Monday, dumping more water on neighborhoods already hit by last week’s deluge. About 3 inches more of rain fell Monday, Fort Lauderdale officials said.
By afternoon, some Melrose Park streets were again flooded with water knee deep.
The canals were already full of standing water before it rained again Monday, residents of Melrose Park said, and drained out into the street.
Students stepped off their school bus and sloshed through the oily, cloudy brown water home. At nearby Shirley Small Community Park, cars lined up throughout the afternoon to receive cases of bottled water and sandbags from Red Cross volunteers at one of the city’s two comfort stations.
On Wyoming Avenue in Melrose Park, Gilbert Luckie, 66, returned from work Monday afternoon to find his driveway and street again flooded.
He and his wife are starting what he said will be a few months of repairs. Eight inches of water seeped into their home.
Trash bags filled with sheet rock sat at the edge of Luckie’s wet driveway.
A restoration company cut out the sheet rock in their home, two feet up from the floor. They’ll be back Tuesday. And the day after, Luckie said.
All of the doors in his home need to also be removed, he said.
“A lot of people don’t have insurance. So they lose everything,” he said.
His main concern now is the upcoming hurricane season. “Only one has to come,” he said. “Or half of it has to come here and wipe you out.”
Doors and floorboards with clear water marks and trash bags were stacked in his neighbor’s driveway. Crews were removing muck where the water has receded.
Della Musgrove, who has lived in the neighborhood on Jackson Boulevard since 1989, said she and her husband hadn’t yet finished repairs from when their home flooded during Hurricane Eta in 2020. They were on the “last leg” of those repairs before Wednesday.
The water in her den, which is lower than the rest of the house, rose to about a foot high Wednesday, she said. Elsewhere inside it reached four or five inches.
Her truck is totaled after the flood. She picked up a rental Monday afternoon so she can return to work for the Broward County School Board.
“My main concern is that we don’t get sick from what’s inside the house that we don’t know about,” she said. “Our main concern is staying healthy inside of our home.”
Debris removal
Debris-removal trucks were also out Monday. They will only operate during daytime hours. Residents can expect the trucks to take several passes through neighborhoods before moving on.
Property damage assessments
The Florida Division of Emergency Management has requested FEMA teams to help assess damage to determine whether federal assistance may be available. City crews have begun performing damage assessments at homes affected by the floodwater.
Fort Lauderdale District 4 Commissioner Warren Sturman said at a meeting Monday night that while it is unlikely the city will meet the threshold for FEMA assistance, documenting the damage is critically important.
For the city to qualify for FEMA assistance, a certain number of homes need to report damage. If you had 12 or more inches of water in the interior of your home, please call and report it to 954-828-8000.
Residents also can report impassable roads by calling 954-828-8000.
Power outages
About 500 customers in Broward County were without power as of about 9 p.m. Monday, according to FPL’s Power Tracker Map, down from about 3,800 about 5 p.m.
Comfort stations
The city’s comfort stations are open to serve residents. Sturman said that officials will develop a plan to arrange transportation to the comfort stations for those who are affected and may not be able to walk to them.
The stations will open each day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Red Cross will be serving lunch and dinner at each location:
• Shirley Small Park at 1230 SW 34th Ave.
• Broward County Fleet Service Center at 2515 SW Fourth Ave.
Services offered include water, food, restrooms, charging stations and showers.
• New Hope Missionary Baptist Church at 1321 NW Sixth St., which replaces the comfort station previously at Provident Park at 1412 NW Sixth St. The site is expected to open by 11 a.m. Tuesday and will provide only food and water.
Shelter
South Florida Red Cross and the city have opened an emergency shelter at Holiday Park, 1150 G. Harold Martin Drive. Temporary lodging, food and personal care and health items are provided. The site is allowing pets, city officials said, but residents should bring a cage. People who need shelter can call 1-800-REDCROSS.
Mosquito alert
Standing water on properties can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. You can also request service from Broward County through the Mosquito Service Request Form or by calling 311.
Business assistance
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity has set up a “one-stop business resource site” at 216 NW 22nd Ave. to help businesses that were affected, Chavarria said.
The site will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Affected businesses can complete the Business Damage Assessment Survey.
Price gouging
Attorney General Ashley Moody activated Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline last week. Moody said in a tweet there were reports of tow truck drivers price gouging. You can report it by calling 866-966-7226.
City Hall
Fort Lauderdale City Hall will remain closed on Tuesday, a city official said. All commission meetings scheduled for Tuesday will be virtual.
Weather
Strong storms Monday dropped 3.3 more inches of rain and even hail on the same areas trying to recover from last week’s deluge. At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, there was a ground stop for about an hour.
The rain continued over the weekend with a record-breaking 4.97 inches at the Palm Beach International Airport between 1 a.m. Sunday and 1 a.m. Monday. The previous record for that time period was set in 1893 with 1.97 inches, National Weather Service Miami meteorologist George Rizzuto said.
Tuesday is expected to be dry and sunny, according to the National Weather Service Miami. The next slight chance for showers will be Thursday. Though the forecast calls for drier weather, but high tides may cause more flooding. Spring tides, where the tides are higher than usual, are expected Tuesday through Saturday. High tides Tuesday are at 7:35 a.m. and 8:11 p.m., according to the City of Fort Lauderdale.
Susannah Bryan can be reached at or on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan
Angie DiMichele can be reached at , 754-971-0194 and on Twitter @angdimi.
