Miami-Dade County Prepares for Heavy Rain, Recommends Safety Measures for All Residents

As South Florida faces several continuous days of heavy rain, Miami-Dade County has prepared its infrastructure for the extra rainfall in order to reduce the likelihood of flooding in main streets and urges residents to be vigilant and exercise a high level of caution.

“Miami-Dade County is at the forefront of sea level rise and we are committed to doing everything possible to prevent flooding and keep our community safe,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “That’s why our County teams are always ready to prepare our infrastructure and deploy our crews to protect our residents and visitors – and why we are working so hard to prioritize resilience at all levels to build a future-ready Miami-Dade.”

As excessive rain events and potential flooding become more frequent, Miami-Dade County is taking the following steps to prepare our infrastructure and help reduce flooding in hot spots, focusing on known issue areas where we can anticipate flooding may occur:

Flooding is the nation’s most common natural disaster. Due to these expected weather conditions, we urge our community to be ready and exercise a high level of caution.

–Stay off the roads if possible. It is never safe to drive or walk into flood waters: Don’t drive or walk around road barriers or through large puddles. Hidden debris may be just under the surface, which could hurt you or disable your car.
–Turn around, don’t drown. It is vital to know what to do if you are driving and hit a flooded road: More than half of the deaths from flooding each year occur in vehicles.
–Help minimize impacts to our wastewater system by keeping manhole covers closed and decreasing water use in the morning and evening – which are the heaviest usage times – during heavy rain.
–Prepare your business and home for flooding no matter where you live, but particularly if you are in a low-lying area, near water, or downstream from a dam. Even a very small stream or dry creek bed can overflow and create flooding.