Parts of North Miami turned into a virtual island Saturday.
Furniture and other household items turned into makeshift pathways as water pumps hummed in the background as crews worked to clear the flooding that resulted from Friday's storms.
"We have to survive, we spent our money on this house and this is our property," said North Miami resident Angel Ferreris, who has lived there for 50 years. "It's very difficult, very difficult."
Neighbors waded through the water or stayed above it, but many residents like Ferreris who live near Northeast 12th Avenue and 144th Street are also dealing with losing power for much of Saturday.
"I need oxygen during the night and I haven't been able to sleep because I can't sleep without the oxygen," said Ferreris, who has a heart condition.
American Red Cross crews arrived in the afternoon to aid those who needed assistance and take residents to the shelter at the American Legion.
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"They can come there and they will have hot meals and a place to stay," said Patricia Rojas with the Red Cross.
Repair teams on scene recommended tossing out any wet or damaged property due to contamination.
"You can't dry out a carpet and save it, all this water is heavily contaminated," Osmany Prada said.
In Hallandale Beach, residents stocked up on sandbags for the next round of bad weather.
"Yesterday we couldn't open the doors," resident Christina Salvador said. "We have to go in and out from the windows of the house. So I don't want to think about the rest of the summer."
The city handed out nearly 600 bags in just four hours. Hallandale Beach gave away the bags to keep its 15,000 residents protected in the event of a hurricane.
"I think we're going to have a very active season this year, so let's be prepared," said Hallandale Beach Commissioner Bill Julian.
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