Tropical Storm Alex, the first named storm of what’s predicted to be a busy 2022 Atlantic season, caused minor flooding in parts of South Florida before it strengthened a bit and aimed for Bermuda.
The storm that began in the Pacific and crossed over Mexico into the Gulf last week, dumped an estimated 11 inches of rain across the southern third of Florida, stalling cars and flooding some homes in the Miami area, according to news reports.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said the storm tested the system of drainage pumps the city has recently installed as climate change has increasingly made flooding an issue in the low-lying area.
“We moved the water off pretty quickly, but in some areas, obviously, it was really challenging,” Gelber said. “There were some problems getting through on some streets, one of the main arteries was unpassable, but by and large water is dissipating.”
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said most government services, such as bus routes and trains, planned to operate as normal over the weekend. Canal levels in South Florida have been lowered to minimize flooding from heavy rains.
In Cuba, the storm killed three people, damaged dozens of homes in Havana and cut off electricity in some areas, according to authorities. Heavy rainfall continued Saturday, but was diminishing as the weather system moved away from the island.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially began June 1. This is an unusually early start to the storm season but not unprecedented for Florida.
Photo: Water covers the floor at the Raw Juce store near downtown Miami, on Saturday. (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald via AP)
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