Cleanup crews work to reopen businesses after heavy winds impact Broward County

By BRANDON BEYER, DANNIELLE GARCIA, JOE ROETZ

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    HOLLYWOOD, Florida (WSVN) — Crews were hard at work all day Thursday after overnight winds, waves, and wet weather affected Hollywood Beach.

In the past, hurricanes and tropical storms have affected Hollywood Beach, but on Thursday, after heavy rainfall impacted parts of South Florida, the scene on the Broadwalk was similar.

7News cameras captured people struggling to cross the Broadwalk as heavy winds pushed water and sand. Tourists in Hollywood Beach had no choice but to make the most of it.

“We are trying to make the best of this weather today,” said Carol Lincoln, who is visiting from Michigan. “I’m thankful it’s not raining.”

Cleanup crews were at the scene to try and get businesses reopened after chairs and tabletops were buried under sand — no match for winds that gusted well over 50 mph.

“We were expecting 30-mile-an-hour winds, but this is crazy,” said Richard Schecher, the manager of Bonny & Read’s Toucan Hideout.

But Schecher knows that strong winds won’t keep customers away for long.

“We get a good share of business when the weather is like this,” he said.

7News cameras captured workers with shovels as they pushed sand off the Broadwalk. Bobcat machinery also assisted with the cleanup effort.

Just down the Broadwalk at Mamacita’s, so much sand blew in that they may not reopen before the weekend.

“We’ve been here for 15 years, through hurricanes. We still haven’t seen stuff like this,” Robert Lopez, the owner of Mamacita’s.

Lynn Nichols, another Michigan visitor, said she’s used to snow, but not South Florida-style storms.

“We kept watching it, and the waves were getting closer. We’re like, ‘Oh, the water’s up by the palm trees,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh!’” she said. “And then it kept coming closer and closer, so yeah, people were walking [and the water was] above your ankles.”

At the Hollywood Beach Golf Course, the green on hole three looked like an island.

Over in Dania Beach, winds reached a speed of 70 mph, causing waves to crash all around a hotel by the sea.

In Fort Lauderdale’s Edgewater community, the water receded Thursday, but it was the second time in one year many of them had to deal with floodwater.

“This is crazy, so I called the emergency management last night when I noticed that the water was about an inch away from my threshold,” said Fort Lauderdale resident, Paul Guerrero.

In Davie, the Bamford Sports Complex and much of the Paradise mobile home community are underwater. Some navigated the roads by canoe, while other residents sloshed through the water, knowing their cars wouldn’t stand a chance.

“I’ve never seen it this bad actually,” said Marco Granados, who was spotted walking through the flood water, Thursday night.

West of Hollywood Beach, crews cleared a palm tree that landed on a home’s roof on Hollywood Boulevard.

Back on the Broadwalk, crews with the city of Hollywood set up orange barriers at beach entry points to prevent any more sand or water from coming up.

Efforts resumed on Friday as crews were seen cleaning up the sand that was swept onto the Broadwalk. They said they would take down the barriers when they knew everything was secure.

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