Broward County flooding strands vehicles, forces pedestrians to wade through Fort Lauderdale

Major thunderstorms turned streets into rivers across Broward County on Friday, leaving drivers navigating waterlogged roads and families scrambling to keep floodwater out of their homes.

In Fort Lauderdale's Victoria Park neighborhood, street flooding is nothing new. Hours after the rain moved through, floodwater remained across multiple areas in the county.

Fort Lauderdale resident Danielle Jacobson said she initially thought her neighbor was overreacting when he texted her to install a floodgate.

"Oh my God, my neighbor texted me to put up the floodgate. I thought he was being dramatic," Jacobson said. "I looked out the window; the water was literally about to come in the door."

Jacobson noted that while persistent rain usually brings some accumulation, the severity caught her off guard.

"When it rains consistently like this, then the rain accumulates and it floods really fast," she said. "So I was expecting it a little bit — not this bad."

The flooding hit drivers hard. One vehicle stalled in Fort Lauderdale and had to be towed after becoming stuck in high water. Along Las Olas Boulevard, pedestrians were forced to wade through floodwaters barefoot, and rising water surrounded vehicles inside a parking garage.

City officials are working on infrastructure updates to address drainage issues. Fort Lauderdale resident Scot Piglia, who has lived in South Florida since 1999, said municipal crews have been installing improvements in nearby areas.

"They're definitely working their way, putting in new drains," Piglia said. "I've seen them doing that, but they just haven't gotten this far."

Piglia added that living in a flood zone requires constant vigilance during heavy storms.

"I kind of know I was getting in a flood zone, and you just gotta be aware," he said.

Crews and families continued dealing with the aftermath into Friday night. Flooding was also reported in Oakland Park and Dania Beach, though floodwaters in those communities have since receded.