Oakland Park uses storm to test emergency; pockets of damage from possible tornadoes

Neighborhoods across Oakland Park are assessing damage as they clean up for a nasty spring storm that swept through the city early Monday morning as residents prepared to go to work. Trees downed across the city as reports of possible tornadoes came into the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

One homeowner near 36 St. in Oakland Park was missing part of his roof, near his entryway, was putting the infamous blue tarp onto his roof, though declined to comment on the damage. Wimberly Fields off 6th Avenue was facing severe damage to nets and posts around the park that were swept down in the storm.

According to Oakland Park assistant city manager Horace McHugh, around 8:15 a.m. Monday morning the city experienced high winds and tornadic activity. He said the city has activated its emergency operations center (EOC).

“In the warehouse district, a couple of bay doors were damaged, a trailer overturned, there was damage to awnings and a couple of roofs,” sais McHugh. “At Bark Park, there are trees down and signs flew all over.”

McHugh also said trees inside Royal Park Condos fell on a few cars, and there were tons of powerlines down in the area. (Please use caution in driving around Oakland Park.) Around 500 homes were still without power, and FPL has been dispatched to different locations to address the problems.

“We’ve had reports of sustained flooding, much of which has receded now,” said McHugh.

When asked about mitigating flood concerns, especially in advance of the 2010 hurricane season, McHugh said the city has invested

heavily in infrastructure over the last few years, focusing on storm drainage management in Oakland Park, a city which is notorious for its flooding during major rain events.

He also said the situation wasn’t an emergency situation, but that the EOC was activated as test of the city’s emergency preparedness response system.

“We used the opportunity to activate it as a testing of the systems to get the various city resources needed,” said McHugh, adding he was unsure if the damage would qualify for any federal FEMA dollars. “We’re very optimistic that the damage is isolated to just a few properties.”

Currently, the rain has stopped in the area, but the weather forecast calls for scattered storms, some strong, throughout the day in South Florida, with isolated tornadoes and water spouts still possible along the coast. Wind gusts up to 60 mph are still possible through the afternoon along with small hail up to dime size as well as flood risk.

Check here for the latest weather update: http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=33334&wuSelect=WEATHER.

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1. Learn to Become a Broward SKYWARN Storm Spotter
2. SKYWARN Storm Spotter Training is November 21
3. Dribble, Dish & Swish in Oakland Park
4. Oakland Park to discuss land use, water in two separate meetings
5. Christmas tree safety tips from Oakland Park Fire Department

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