FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Florida closed beaches and COVID testing sites, shut down public transportation and ordered some evacuations Sunday as Tropical Storm Eta took aim, bringing heavy rains to already flooded city streets after leaving scores of dead and over 100 missing in Mexico and Central America.
Eta made landfall late Sunday on Lower Matecumbe Key, Florida. Even if the storm doesn’t strengthen into a hurricane, its slow speed and heavy rains posed an enormous threat to South Florida, an area already drenched from more than 14 inches (0.35 meters) of rain last month.
Eta could dump an additional 6 to 12 inches (0.15 to 0.3 meters), forecasters said.“In some areas, the water isn’t pumping out as fast as it’s coming in,” warned Miami.