Fort Lauderdale airport closed until noon as airlines scramble to resume operations

From a flooded Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to inundated streets of Broward County, a transportation nightmare is all but guaranteed Thursday after unprecedented rains pounded the area the day before.

The airport remains closed until noon, officials said in an early morning announcement. And airlines scrambled to keep thousands of customers posted on flight delays, cancellations and rebooking policies.

After relentless rains flooded airport parking garages and thoroughfares on Wednesday, the upper-level roadway was reopened for passenger pick-ups, an airport website said. The lower-level roadway remains closed until further notice.

Shortly after midnight, the City of Fort Lauderdale announced it was preparing a local state of emergency.

[ RELATED: Fort Lauderdale drenched with over 20 inches of rain; ‘life-threatening’ flash flood emergency extended ]

The city said it secured airboats and “high clearance buggies” from BSO and Florida Wildlife Commission to help support rescue operations starting at 3 a.m.

“Staff is assessing park facilities to convert them to staging/reunification centers for individuals impacted by the flash floods,” the city said in an advisory emailed to residents. “We expect to open these as soon as possible.”

Fire Rescue and police continued to answer calls for service and “are doing their best to navigate through the flooded streets.”

By 5 a.m. the city said, the American Red Cross arrived to aid with a staging site at the Winn Dixie near State Road 84 and 9th Avenue.

“Please stay off the roads,” the city said in a 7:30 a.m. statement. “There are various arterial roads with broken-down cars and tow trucks continue removing these to improve traffic flow. We ask neighbors to be patient with respect to the flooding, as the 50-year flood event has poured more than 20 inches of rain in areas of Fort Lauderdale.”

Officials said they expect flooding “to subside through the next hours and have seen improvements in certain areas of downtown.”

Darius Spencer of San Diego, who spent the night at the airport, played his ukelele to help keep the restless crowd entertained. He said he slept on the “very cold floor” because there was nowhere to lie down until he “found a nice cardboard box.”

But many passengers stranded at the airport remained frustrated early Thursday.

“This is pure stupidity,” said Rob Gourley, of Sarasota, who had been heaing to Nassau, the Bahamas, with his wife Dana and had been at the airport since Wednesday. “It’s the first time out in five years because of COVID and everything. We’re ready to just drive home and forget it.”

Transportation in and out of the county remained a tenuous proposition with the airport closed and major roads still submerged beneath floodwaters. But the Brightline high speed rail system, temporarily halted by a Wednesday night crossing wreck in Hollywood, resumed service Thursday morning as online tickets were on sale for trips between Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

As of 7:30 a.m., the airport had 346 total flight cancellations and 39 delays listed for Thursday, according to the tracking website Flightaware.

[ Stuck at the airport? Check the status of your flight ]

Spirit Airlines, which flies the most passengers in and out of the airport, canceled a 30th anniversary celebration so it could restore operations caused by the airport closure, a spokesman said.

On its website, the Miramar-based discount airline advised customers of the shutdown and urged them to check their flight status before traveling and to monitor email for updates.

JetBlue Airways, the second-busiest carrier serving the airport, said it would not resume operations until noon Thursday “pending airport conditions.”

“Please closely monitor your flight status as well as local road conditions prior to traveling to the FLL Airport,” the airline said in a website message. JetBlue said it would waive change/cancel fees and fare differences for customers traveling Wednesday through Thursday on trips affected by the closure.

For daily commuters who get to work by car, Thursday clearly shaped up as a day for remote working as the previous day’s rainwaters were slow to recede and stalled cars remained stranded on flooded streets.

There is no power at City Hall and there were overnight reports of “water flooding the first floor of the Transportation and Mobility (TAM) building,” the City of Fort Lauderdale said in its overnight advisory.

The city’s facilities will be closed to the public Thursday and delays were expected for trash pickup and the LauderGo shuttle service, as various roads are impassable.

Overall, the city counseled patience “as the storm water system will naturally drain as the rain lessens and the ground is able to absorb the standing water.”

Commuter train travel took a hit as a Brightline train collided late Wednesday with a car carrier stuck at a crossing on the tracks in Hollywood. No one was injured, but service between the downtowns of Fort Lauderdale and Miami was still suspended well past midnight.

Tri-Rail, the commuter rail line that runs between Mangonia Park north of West Palm Beach and Miami International Airport, was running on schedule.

Shipping traffic in and out of Port Everglades appeared to be operating normally, according to a real time timetable of arrivals and departures on its website.

“We are conducting damage assessments this morning,” said spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy in an email.

She said the Viking Octantis, a new expedition cruise ship, “is making her maiden call today as scheduled.”

One unhappy fast fact: Fort Lauderdale’s storm water system is designed to handle 3 inches of rain within a 24-hour period, but some neighborhoods received more than 12 inches.

Neighbors were advised to report concerns to a 24-hour customer line at 954-828-8000.

Staff photojournalist Joe Cavaretta contributed to this report.

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