Oct 9, 2008 10:07 pm US/Eastern
Heavy Rains And Flooding Strike South Florida
NORTH MIAMI (CBS4) ―
More than 8 hours after the rain stopped falling in Aventura Thursday, business owners and neighbors said the water took a toll on the area, and in North Miami Beach.
Flooded streets in North Miami left motorists like Luz Rios stalled and stranded. "I drove in the water and then I got stuck," Rios said.
Along NE 172nd Street near the Dixie Highway, some drivers tried to push their vehicles to drier ground, while others tried to sweep debris from the water and others unclogged drains themselves.
Further north at 186th Street, the flooding turned businesses like Frank's Auto Body Shop into an island. John Mormile, the co-owner, said a dozen cars and the office were damaged.
"We came in to protect the cars," Mormille said. It's a little depressing with the economy the way it is and here we are having to clean up.
Mormille said they've been battling the county and state for years to fix the drainage in the area. His business partner, Leonard Noelli, echoed the sentiment. "It's a total day wasted. We had to send our 9 employees home. Cars are not going to be delivered, and have not been worked on," Noelli said.
Mormille said he has owned the auto body shop since 1989 and it had flooded like it did on Thursday 8 times. The Public Works Department told
CBS4 it's starting a project in November that should help the area.
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