(The Center Square) — As South Florida grapples with record-breaking rainfall that has caused widespread flooding, state officials are stepping up to mitigate as much damage as possible.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said in Hollywood on Friday that the response to the flooding will be ongoing. State departments are trying to get as much water pumped out of affected areas as quickly and safely as possible.
“Obviously, the water has receded a lot compared to where it was,” DeSantis said. “You still have some of the RV and mobile home parks that have a lot of standing water. The state has 90 water pumps that are either being in use or are available for use.”
DeSantis noted that more rain has been forecast for Friday. However, it is predicted to be more of a typical South Florida afternoon “shower” than what was seen earlier in the week. Since Tuesday, over 20 inches of rain have fallen in South Florida, according to the National Weather Service.
Kevin Guthrie, Director of the Division of Emergency Management, said the emergency response was quick. Responders immediately began working some of the 90-plus pumps located around Florida.
“Over 11,000 feet of flood protection systems were deployed to the area, 10 pallets of food, 14 pallets of water…90 pumps,” Guthrie said. “I’ve also been in constant communication with all the impacted counties and cities, and we’re ensuring that any request they have is being fulfilled.”
Guthrie wanted to remind residents that there is still some flooding in many areas and warned people not to drive into standing water, adding that you can lose control of a vehicle in six inches of water and pointed out that residents should not enter any flooded building.
Jared W. Perdue, the Florida Department of Transportation Secretary, said that responders are working overtime to get everything back to normal and that this is simply part of being in the Sunshine State.
“This is something we have been dealing with for centuries in Florida,” Perdue said. “We learn from every event, we get better. As many of you remember, close to 15 months ago, there was an event down here. As soon as we saw the weather forecast for this rain event, we began planning, coordinating, staging personnel, staging resources and working very closely with our locals.”