When Hurricane Irma shifted west, Miami was spared the brunt of direct high winds, but that has not saved the city from severe flooding. On Sunday afternoon, as the storm surge rose, downtown Miami turned into a lake.
CNN captured video about on Brickell Ave, about three blocks from Biscayne Bay, which is completely underwater. A Miami police officer estimated the flooding to be neck-high at its deepest points.
Residents of Miami have posted photos and videos on Twitter to show the torrent of water that has inundated Brickell Avenue, the neighborhood’s main thoroughfare. NBC 6 South Florida reporter Erica Glover photos that showed water several feet high.
As the storm floods Miami, Irma is making landfall on the southwest coast of Florida, near Naples and Fort Myers. Water levels have dropped dramatically from Marco Island to Grove City, which are about 100 miles apart—an ominous sign that the storm’s winds and intense low pressure are redistributing the ocean.
In Fort Myers, ocean levels have dropped so that the pier is now totally visible.
The total death toll from Hurricane Irma has now reached 25, including three deaths in the US.