SFWMD Prepares Regional Flood Control System
to Handle Expected Rainfall
Rainfall totals as high as 4-6 inches expected in some areas, SFWMD preparing system by lowering canals to handle stormwater
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| This image shows the predicted rainfall across South Florida on Tuesday, March 19. Click on the image to watch a video about how SFWMD is preparing the regional flood control system to handle this expected rainfall. |
West Palm Beach, FL - The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is working to prepare its regional flood control system to ensure flood protection as an upper level weather disturbance is expected to drop heavy rainfall across the region on Tuesday.
The weather disturbance moving in from Mexico is expected to interact with a cold front and drop an average of 1 inch of rainfall on the basins from Lake Okeechobee south, starting early Tuesday morning and diminishing by Tuesday evening. Some areas are expected to receive local maximums of 4-6 inches of rainfall on Tuesday.
Much of the region is dry due to drier conditions over the recent weeks. SFWMD is preparing the regional flood control system by drawing down canals along the east coast from Palm Beach County south to Miami-Dade County to ensure they have capacity to move stormwater runoff from local drainage districts and municipalities.
The District also held a conference call on Monday afternoon with local drainage districts that are responsible for local flood protection to share information and coordinate storm preparations.
Flood control in South Florida is a shared responsibility between the District, which operates the regional flood control system, and local drainage districts, municipalities and homeowners associations that operate the secondary and tertiary drainage systems that move flood waters away from homes and neighborhoods. Residents throughout South Florida can report neighborhood flooding concerns by visiting the website,
www.sfwmd.gov/floodcontrol and entering an address
to locate
their local drainage district.
