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Fort Lauderdale faces chance of more rain Friday as devastating floods force hundreds of residents into emergency shelters

(CNN) — More storms could strike South Florida on Friday after monumental flooding wreaked havoc on Fort Lauderdale and surrounding communities, closing schools and government buildings and sending hundreds of residents to seek refuge at emergency shelters.
Many streets turned into lakes across Fort Lauderdale Wednesday and Thursday when a historic volume of rain exceeding 2 feet inundated the South Florida coastal city. The flooding shut down the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The airport tweeted about 7:50 a.m. Friday it still plans to reopen at 9 a.m., as it had hoped earlier.
“Travelers are advised to check with their airlines for updated flight times BEFORE coming to the airport,” the tweet said.
Surrounding areas were also lashed with well above a foot of rain, leading to rapid flooding that trapped residents, made driving miserable for motorists and frustrated air travelers who could not leave the airport.
Jeremy Ennis, who said he has been working in Fort Lauderdale for about 23 years, was stuck on a city road in his car Thursday as water levels remained high.
“Never have I seen anything like this, ever,” Ennis told CNN. “I’ve never seen this volume of water, and I’ve seen (Hurricane) Katrina. I’ve seen many more hurricanes.”
A flood warning remains in effect for Fort Lauderdale through 8 a.m. ET, according to the National Weather Service office in Miami.
“Historic rainfall has occurred in the Fort Lauderdale metro area the past 36 hours. Despite the heavy rain coming to an end (Thursday) evening, numerous roads remain closed due to flooding,” the flood warning noted.
Friday also brings the threat of possible thunderstorms, especially during the afternoon and early evening hours. The storms may bring heavy downpours to local areas, but those are not expected to be as severe as the walls of rain that battered the city this week.
Fort Lauderdale was hit with another round of rain Thursday evening which exacerbated flooding conditions, city officials said.
“Roads that were passable earlier today are flooded again. We strongly urge everyone to stay off the roads, if possible,” Fort Lauderdale city officials said.
The warning came as about 600 residents were in emergency shelter locations Thursday night, the city said, where they have access to lodging, food and other essentials.
The flooding impacts have also prompted Broward County Public Schools Friday to cancel classes for the second consecutive day.
In addition to responding to hundreds of rescue calls Thursday, crews throughout the Fort Lauderdale metro area have been working to clear drains and deploy pumps where possible to help alleviate the effects of flooding.
Hollywood, Florida, Mayor Josh Levy said his city saw more than a foot of rain accumulate in areas that have been experiencing consecutive days of “seemingly nonstop rain.”
“The ground was already saturated so there is extensive flooding all over our city and throughout South Florida. Many roadways are impassable. Lots of vehicles got stuck and left abandoned in the middle of our roadways.
“I’ve lived here my whole life. This is the most severe flooding that I’ve ever seen,” he said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued a state of emergency for Broward County to provide additional resources to crews and residents on the ground.