Fort Lauderdale was in the bull’s eye of an intense “1,000-year” rainstorm that swamped homes, streets and neighborhoods last year.
Residents of Broward County’s largest city didn’t have to wait long for the next deluge to hit.
In June, a storm dumped up to 20 inches of rain in 48 hours in parts of southern Broward, overwhelming drainage systems from Fort Lauderdale to Hallandale Beach and beyond and forcing a section of Interstate 95 to close for more than five hours.
Now Mayor Dean Trantalis and his colleagues on the dais are calling on everyone to be braced for the next big storm .
“We’re one hurricane away from having these neighborhoods under water again,” Commissioner Warren Sturman said. “I think we need to do everything in our power to make sure when the rain comes again — which it will — that we are prepared.”
Vice Mayor Steve Glassman warned that the recent flash floods are a sign of things to come . “More rain in a shorter amount of time is exactly what science tells us we should expect to see more of – and regardless of the science, as we grow, we must do a better job of finding smart places for water to go,” he said during a recent City Hall meeting.