VIDEO: Earlier #flooding along 47th st. in #MiamiBeach. pic.twitter.com/JIa9wx0G5e
— Miami Beach Alerts (@BeachNewsAlerts) August 2, 2017
The tail end of Tropical Depression Emily brought severe flooding to Miami and Miami Beach on Tuesday, filling streets, shutting down businesses and even forcing the Miami-Dade County Courthouse Center to close on Wednesday.
As much as seven inches of rain fell in the area on Tuesday afternoon, leading to a flood advisory.
In Miami Beach, a $400 million storm pump system geared to reduce the impact of sea-level rise failed in the Sunset Harbour neighborhood for nearly an hour thanks to a power outage. The city now plans to install permanent generators, a spokesperson told the Miami Herald.
In Sunset Harbour, where the streets have been raised, Pubbelly Noodle Bar and Sushi Garage closed on Tuesday due to flooding, the Miami New Times reported. Macchialina and the French bistro Semilla Eatery & Bar, both on Alton Road in Miami Beach, also closed for the evening. In addition, Flywheel Sports on Purdy Avenue cancelled afternoon classes.
The Rodney Lough Jr. Gallery on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach brought out sand bags to prevent more water from entering the nature photography gallery, according to the Herald.
Real estate speculation in lower-cost, higher-elevation areas of inland Miami may draw fuel from sea-level rise, according to a recent article published by Scientific American. Little Haiti, for example, has attracted a new wave of real estate investors, following in the path of other areas that have gentrified in recent years, such as Wynwood. [Miami Herald] [Miami New Times] – Grace Guarnieri