Freaky Flooding Friday on Miami Beach.

At high tide this morning Biscayne Bay came up onto the streets of Miami Beach through the sewers and drains and flooded the roadways during morning drive time. The flooding was so bad that traffic had to be detoured off of Alton Road near 43rd Street at the entrance to Mt. Sinai Hospital. The water was from Biscayne Bay a block to the west. Along Indian Creek on the East Side of Miami Beach the creek was so high that it poured over the banks of the Creek and out onto the street. The water was so high it covered the whole road way and when a big city bus (the M Bus I think) drove by fast it created a wave that splashed up over our car window and temporarily blinded us as if we were under water.. which we were.

It was awesome to see the banks of the Creek just pouring over it's banks out into the street.

I bet if you lived in Miami today you didn't here anything about it. Nothing. Nada. You never do. Number one.. it happens a few times a year though more usually on Alton Road south of 17th Street and two... we don't want the tourists to get wind of it let alone water ;)

Here's a great blog from LAST May when the water was from the heavy Spring rains.

Scroll down to May 20th and why he couldn't get his bagel for breakfast. Trust me if he is still living here he didn't get one today either.

http://www.southbeachrealestateblog.com/page/21/

I wrote about it last year here online when I tried to make a fast trip to Wild Oats and had to take my shoes off, hike up my skirt and wade through water that was so deep that it had made it's way partially into Wild Oats and taking over the Produce Section. It was coming up from the drains in the store under the lettuce section.

Nothing changes, it happens often however this time it wasn't so much from the rain as it hasn't rained that heavy the last few days but the Lake and


http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI98642/

http://cbs4.com/local/miami.beach.floods.2.826470.html

Channel 7 is attributing it to the system off shore but I would say a good part of it is attributable to the dumping of water from the lake and South Florida Water Management recently.. it trickles down, always fills up Indian Creek. The whole last week or two ..way before this system in the Atlantic I made the comment to my friend driving to work that I had rarely seen the Bay so high driving across North Bay Village and the 79th Street.

As the man on Channel 7 just said, "this goes on for years and years" and I will add nothing is ever done. It happens from heavy rain, high tide and if a storm is offshore but this is from a refusal to solve a problem that affects local businesses all the time. Meridian Market gets flooded out every time this happens as does Wild Oats and other businesses.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flplakeo0829pnaug29,0,4437265.story

An article about a controversial lowering of Lake water..

Not sure if they did or didn't but a few days after I heard they were going to ... Biscayne Bay looked as if it would overflow onto the causeways at high tide.

On Collins Avenue the Haulover Beach Boat docks were so flooded the water came out over the parking lot and onto the street. High tide... by low tide it was gone with only high water marks left on the road that covered part of the street .. a lone reminder that Miami Beach is very low and barely above sea level and should a real hurricane come in from the east or up from the South the water will reclaim Miami Beach ..the way it does after a good strong rain ..except that the water will not go down at low tide.

Unreal.. in all the years I have seen this happen I have NEVER seen it as bad as to see Indian Creek pouring over onto the road side through the mangroves like a murky waterfall.

As for elsewhere in the tropics...

Kyle is like 60 mph and moving north possibly towards Maine or more likely the Fishing Routes of the Perfect Storm fame. What should have been named Kyle is inland and spinning over the Carolinas. The Bay of Campeche system looks weak and is now streaming moisture up into South Florida and I think it will rain over Shabbos. And, far out in the Mid-Atlantic there is a wave that is possibly trying to develop. Slow goings in the tropics for September as my mind turns to other things such as what kind of noodle kugel I will make.. peach I think and will I make Cous Cous or Stuffing with Roasted Chicken and will I put crushed pineapple or chunk into the Tzimmes and how much Sweet Potato Pie I will make for Rosh Hashanona..

Hey, we all have priorities and my priority right now is to rest, relax and hope and pray someone has a clue as to what to do to get our economy back working again.

Pumps on Miami Beach might be a nice idea also!!

Good Shabbos.. Have a great weekend. TGIF!!!

Bobbi

2007... still happening.. a year later



2006... a regular normal day on Miami Beach in a heavy rain...