Forecasters with the National Weather Service are predicting heavy rain, floods, thunderstorms and gusts as high as 18 mph in South Florida Friday with the bad weather continuing into the weekend.
Scattered thunderstorms could bring wind gusts and heavy downpours starting Friday afternoon, according to NWS predictions. Up to an inch of rain is expected in some parts of Miami-Dade County during the day Friday and up to inches are expected at night.
The hazardous weather had most of the county and neighboring parts of South Florida under a flash flood warning and flood advisories Thursday, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. Community leaders and forecasters alike urged the public to never drive through flooded roads as there is no telling how deep the flooding has become and low visibility can make it easy to accidentally drive off-road into a canal. The majority of flood deaths occur in vehicles from people attempting to drive through waters and getting stuck, NWS officials said.
The bad weather is expected to extend into early next week with a risk of elevated rip currents and continued heavy rain.
Four Decades of Representing Clients in Florida
Leesfield & Partners attorneys are experts in a multitude of practice areas within personal injury law including car accidents, product liability, hotel security, highway construction, slip and fall cases and premises liability cases. In over four decades and with three offices in Central Florida Orlando, Miami and Key West, attorneys with the firm have weathered numerous hurricanes and tropical storms that have hit the state and have witnessed the fallout to communities, clients and their families.
It is because of the experience with storms in his hometown of South Florida and the experience of watching the damage shatter entire communities that the firm’s Managing Partner and Founder, Ira Leesfield, began using his family’s foundation to help with disaster relief. The Leesfield Family Foundation, with the Greater Houston Community Foundation, supported victims of Hurricane Harvey when it slashed through neighborhoods and brought devastation to the area as a Category 4 hurricane, killing at least 88 people. The Foundation, which started in 1990 with a focus on women’s and children’s initiatives, also helped victims of Hurricanes Sandy, Maria and Dorian.
But The Foundation’s work is not all that Mr. Leesfield has done in response to helping people hurt by the after-effects of a storm. Mr. Leesfield was the head of the legal team representing an Iowa family staying at Key West hotel when they were exposed to carbon monoxide. The family was, thankfully, saved by emergency responders because they were able to call 911. Another family, this time a father and son, was exposed to the gas in the same hotel shortly after and was also able to call for help before succumbing to the effects of it. The case got national attention and Mr. Leesfield was a key in eventual legislation mandating the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in and around sleeping quarters of new builds.
The cause of the carbon monoxide leaking into guests’ rooms was a damaged boiler room roof vent that was broken in Hurricane Wilma. Data from the Centers for Disease Control shows that about 400 Americans die every year from accidental carbon monoxide exposure. Attorneys with the firm discovered the hotel failed to have a licensed technician inspect and repair the vent and secured over $1 million in settlement for the family.
In 1992, following the deaths of at least 44 people and $30 billion in damages from Hurricane Andrew, Florida legislators worked to pass laws that would protect people and property in case of natural disasters. One such move implemented uniform building codes to prevent building collapses and fortify new and existing buildings against hurricanes and other natural disasters. In 1998, the first Florida Building Code was passed. While these codes exist to protect the vulnerable, they are not always followed and can result in life-altering avoidable injuries.
One case of such an avoidable injury can be seen in the lack of Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters – a device made specifically to prevent electrocutions – that was not in use the day an 11-year-old girl reached into a pond to retrieve her mini-golf ball. The child was at the Central Florida resort celebrating her birthday when she reached into the pond and was electrocuted. An adult who heard the child’s screams reached for her and was also shocked by the electric current passing through the child. The girl died as a result of the water becoming electrified from the pond’s decorative foundation.
Leesfield & Partners attorneys representing the devastated family in that case secured $10 million for their clients following the child’s preventable death.
How to Prepare for a Storm and What to Know
- Never use a generator in an enclosed space like a garage or indoors and always keep the generator away from vents and windows that may allow carbon monoxide to trickle inside your home.
- Listen to storm officials and evacuate if told to do so.
- Know your evacuation routes and pay attention to notices of where local shelters are located.
- Do not drive, walk or swim through flood waters as it is difficult to tell how deep they go.
- Make emergency plans with family and loved ones so that everyone knows what to do and where to go in case of an emergency. It is also important to identify a meeting place so that if you ever fall out of contact with your family, you can meet at the pre-planned safety location.
- Store enough water in case of an emergency. The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends at least one gallon of water per family member per day. The recommendation is to keep enough water for two weeks.
- Make sure you have an emergency reserve of any necessary medications or specific foods for those who have dietary restrictions.
- Keep an emergency cache of pet food, pet medications and water in case of an emergency.