Sudden torrential rain and heavy flooding Monday caused the temporary closure of two West Broward hospital emergency departments.
As of early Monday evening, ambulances were being diverted from HCA Woodmont in Tamarac and Florida Medical Center on West Oakland Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, according to Tamarac Fire Rescue.
“Along University Drive in some areas there is a foot-and-a-half of standing water,” said Van Schoen, spokesman for Tamarac Fire Rescue.
Schoen said HCA Woodmont had roof leaks in some of its patient rooms as a result of the downpour. “Out of caution for patients and staff, they started to move patients out of those rooms. They are now on diversion and not taking patients in their ER. They are up and running and operating,” he said. “They are just taking as much caution as they can to make sure they don’t have incidents.”
Anyone who calls 911 and needs transport to a hospital will be taken to Broward Health Coral Springs Medical Center, Schoen said.
Jennifer Guerrieri, an HCA spokeswoman, said the emergency department at HCA Woodmont was reopen and accepting patients as of 5:30 p.m. “The leak has been mitigated,” she said.
The National Weather Service issued an alert Monday afternoon that a weak tropical wave was passing near the South Florida region.
“While it likely will be rainy and overcast, this will at least give us a brief reprieve from the excessive heat,” the National Weather Service said.
Flood advisories in Broward County were canceled by shortly after 3 p.m., and a flash flood warning expired at 3:15 p.m.
No officials at Florida Medical Center could be reached on Monday afternoon.
