Although South Florida likely won't take a direct hit from Hurricane Ian, flooding was expected throughout the area over the next couple days.
A flood watch was issued for most of South Florida and remained in effect until Thursday morning.
Miami-Dade County crews have been working since last week conducting pre-storm inspections and lowering water levels across the county, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a news conference Tuesday.
"They’ve installed temporary dams around pump stations in vulnerable areas," Levine Cava said. "They have lowered water levels to critical points within the sanitary sewer system.”
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The City of Miami opened its Emergency Operations Center at 9 a.m. Tuesday to deal with expected flooding from Ian.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez reassured residents that all permanent water pumps are working, and seven additional portable pumps will be installed, as needed.
"We have identified about 15-20 trouble areas throughout the city that we're monitoring on a constant basis," Suarez said at a news conference Tuesday.
Local
The combination of Ian and the highest tides of the season could lead to several inches of rain. King Tides were expected on Tuesday and Wednesday, Miami officials said.
Brickell was a key area of concern. On Tuesday, sandbags were being filled up for local businesses in Mary Brickell Village.
"We got a little tarp and we’re going to have the sandbags at the door and hopefully, you know, if it gets worse, we’ll just be checking up and seeing how it is," said Muhammad Hussein, who manages a Subway restaurant.
The issues were the same in Fort Lauderdale, where some minor flooding was already being seen Tuesday.
There was a foot or two of water spotted near homes and apartments along the Intracoastal near Karen Drive and Northeast 20th Avenue. Some residents were seen piling up sandbags to try to keep water out of their homes.
Near Las Olas Boulevard, some minor flooding was starting to pool up in the street.
Resident Kenny Noel was seen wading through puddles to get to his car.
"This area is usually pretty bad whenever it rains. I don’t know if it’s because we’re so close to the Intracoastal or the drains not being cleared out before the storm actually happens but this is normal for us every time we get a big rain, so we’re used to it," Noel said.
